Sweet, Summer, Love, Vacation
by imustbeaweasley
Summary: Summer's here, and Phoenix thinks a group vacation is in order. Sun, surf, and great food, what could possibly go wrong? Only 3 bedrooms: leaving Apollo and Athena to share a bed. AU (change in time).
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: As many of you know, I used to write Glee fanfiction, as Finchel/Monchele is my all-time OTP (Justicykes is my #2). This fanfiction is loosely based on a Glee fanfiction that I had read (and favorited) years ago. Anyway, the title of this fanfiction is based of the song "Vacation" by Superfruit. Please enjoy this not-so-dark fanfiction!_**

Chapter One

July 21, 2017

4:38 PM PST

Wright Anything Agency

 _"_ _Come over in my direction. So thankful for that, it's such a blessin', yeah. Turn every situation into heaven, yeah"_

Lyrics being screamed by the top of the lungs of my junior co-worker. This god-forsaken song, **again**. I swear, if I hear "Despacito" out of the mouth of anyone else in this office the rest of the day, I am going to grab the spare pillow that Mr. Wright leaves in his office, and scream into it.

And yes, Mr. Wright keeps a spare pillow in his office. He claims that it is for when he "works late, and Maya wants to sleep on his couch." Nice try, Mr. Wright; we know you bang your girlfriend in your office at night, and fall asleep here. I've seen your walks of shame to your car in the morning, wearing the same clothes as the day prior. You can't hide from me (especially when you schedule me from 7-5).

Regardless, I'm gonna scream if I hear this song one more time.

"Yes! I love that song!" I hear as I type up the final touches to a case file. I sigh; now the boss's daughter wants to sing along to said terrible song. Trucy probably only knows this song because she heard Athena sing it **once.** She's very uncultured; blame her father for that.

"Come sing it with me then! _Despacito. Quiero respirar tu cuello despacio. Deja que te diga cosas al oído. Para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo. Despacito."_ I hear my co-worker singing in near perfect Spanish. Never would I think that a lawyer whom spent the bulk of her teenage years in England, would speak such eloquent Spanish. I learned this a few days ago, when I heard Athena singing from her desk. I was absolutely memorized by the fluency in her voice while singing.

There's many factors that make up the being of Athena Cykes, and I always find myself fascinated by the factors I do not expect.

She is not only my co-worker, but she's one of my closest friends. Since joining the Wright Anything Agency, Athena has brought a more airy vibe to our office; Mr. Wright's personality has relaxed some, Trucy has a female friend/female figure to look up to (other than Maya). Well, for me, you ask? I find myself smiling more, and making jokes more, now that she's around.

But, I don't like her. Not like that.

"Nah, I don't know Spanish, Thena." Trucy states, while dancing around to the song playing in the background. Oh, right. Where's Mr. Wright's pillow at again?

"Hi Polly!" Pops up, out of nowhere, in front of my desk. Her red hair whipping me in the face, she stares at me with the biggest smirk I've ever seen.

"Watch it with your hair. At this rate, you could whip Franziska with it in court as payback," I joke with her, as I close my laptop. "Shouldn't you be working?"

"Oh please, Apollo," she says, taking a bite of a double chocolate chip cookie. Wait, where did she get that? I want one! "It's a late Friday afternoon. We haven't been working on a case in two, maybe three weeks now. What work do I have to do?"

She's got a point. Our last case ended about two and a half weeks ago, and even then, the case wasn't something to brag about.

I know I shouldn't be telling you this, but I shall anyway: our client was being accused of stealing food from a fast food restaurant chain. The client "allegedly" hid in the bathroom of the restaurant for hours upon end, until the store closed. From there, he would leave the bathroom and sneak behind the counter, and take multiple food items. From there, he'd leave the store. He was found on camera, multiple times doing so, at fifteen different locations within the Los Angeles area. Of course, he was found guilty, and rightfully so.

And to be honest, Mr. Wright took on this case out of desperation. We're not usually busy during the summer, being that many living in the L.A. city limits leave the area for vacation. So, for us, we're left here, pretending to work for 9 hours. Fortunately enough, Athena and I have found interesting ways to pass the time.

"True," I state. "However, we could at least make ourselves look like we're working. I just sent the finished case file off to the prosecution office. Hopefully, Mr. Edgeworth receives it." Lucky him, he's vacationing abroad in Cohdopia; something about "visiting an old friend."

"Knowing Mr. Edgeworth, he'll drop everything to store the case file." Trucy exclaims. "Well Trucy," Athena explains to her. "I'm pretty darn sure that his reasoning for being in Cohdopia is serious." "I guess," Trucy says, disappointedly.

I hear footsteps approaching, large footsteps. Uh huh, the boss is walking in. "Apollo, Edgeworth thanks you for the case file!" Mr. Wright's voice seems extra peppy today. Oh God, was he in the office, getting laid, while we were in here? Jesus Christ, get a room you two!

"Well, I have good news for you two," he announces. "And you too, Trucy."

"YAY! DADDY YOU AND MAYA ARE FINALLY GETTING MARRIED! AM I YOUR FLOWER GIRL?!" Trucy yells, dancing around the office. Mr. Wright looks at her, with his confused, worried face.

"No Trucy, we're not getting married," he responds, then turns to us to state, "No way I could afford that right now."

Poor Trucy pouts, slouches back down on Athena's desk chair. "One day, Trucy. One day." Athena hugs her, calming her down.

"However, I got off the phone with Maya earlier. We were having a conversation about the office, and how, well, lackluster, our cases have been the past month or two."

You got that right, Mr. Wright.

"She thought it would be a good idea for a vacation. When her sister used to hold the reigns of this office, we were given a week's vacation every year. We're reinstalling this starting now, and what better way to christen this returning benefit than an office vacation."

What? V…vacation? Did I hear Mr. Wright correctly? We're going on a vacation?

"We booked us a place in Big Sur, a place where my parents used to take me when I was a child. There'll be six of us in one condo there: Myself, Maya, you three, and we convinced Pearls to come with us."

"When do we leave, Boss?" Athena asks. Hopefully, we won't be waiting for an entire month for said trip. "Well, our condo will be ready tomorrow morning by 10 AM. Maya, Pearl, Trucy, and I will be leaving very early tomorrow to get there. You two are on your own though. Just be there before 5, We, especially Maya, don't wanna be waiting for you two to eat."

"Wait, tomorrow? Big Sur is about 5 hours away from here! Is this really possible, Mr. Wright?" I ask. I'm not too sure about this drive, I hate driving a long distance, especially by myself. Clay and I used to drive six to seven hours up to visit old friends in Santa Rosa, and we used to split the driving. Of course, he and I were never alone either: always picked up some girls along the way to take up there. But, that's another story for another day.

"It'll be fine, Apollo. I have faith that you could drive that long." Mr. Wright attempts to boost my faith in driving. "Well, it's about 5 now. You guys go home and prepare for tomorrow. See you then. Come on, Trucy, we have to go back." He walks back into his office, with Trucy.

I sigh. I'm really not comfortable driving by myself for five and a half hours to a place I've never been to before. It'll just remind me more and more of missing my best friend.

"Um, Athena?" I ask my junior-coworker. I have an idea, but who knows if she'll agree to it. She closes her laptop, and turns around to meet eyes with me.

"What's up, Apollo? You seem a bit shaky." I sigh, "I just…I'm not comfortable driving on my own for that length of time, you know?" She sees the disappointment in my eyes, I can tell.

"Say no more, Polly. I get it. If you'd like, I could go with you" she proposes.

"Are you sure? I don't wanna owe you anything…" Which is true, I hate owing people things for favors like this.

"You're not gonna owe me anything. I would be happy to! Plus, it would save gas, and therefore, less gas money. If only I'd get paid more, I could afford a better car!" She uttered the last part loud enough, so the entire city could here her.

"In your dreams, Cykes" was uttered from our boss's office. She and I chuckle at his remark.

"Pick you up tomorrow morning? Say, around 9?" I ask, while grabbing my suitcase, about to walk out the office door.

"Sure. See you tomorrow, Polly." She says, as I leave the agency office.

As I walk out of the office, I find myself humming a certain song.

 _"_ _Despacito. This is how we do it down in Puerto Rico. I just wanna hear you screaming, '¡Ay, Bendito!' I can move forever cuando esté contigo."_

God dammit, Athena.

You're gonna get it tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Hey everybody! Thank you for the views & reviews & follows for this story (and for myself). I know I'm not very consistent, but now I want to start being more consistent. The story "We're Fine" has had progress, but the research behind the writing takes time, hence why no chapters since last year. However, the research is getting a bit easier, and the writing will be more consistent. Anyways, here's chapter two! I hope you enjoy!_**

Chapter Two

July 22, 2017

8:43 AM PST

Amberwood Apartments

I am so excited! For once, we can finally go on vacation, and not have to worry about using sick days to do so (not that I've done so in the past)!

Big Sur sounds like an amazing place to visit. Considering I haven't seen much of California since I moved back here, anything is better than the same ol' sights of Los Angeles. I mean, visiting Disneyland with Junie was cool, but it was still smack dab in the middle of crowded Anaheim. From my research, Big Sur is different; it's not crowded/overpopulated, no big skyscrapers or anything. Just the beach, a few restaurants/stores here and there, and a couple condos. Perfect for this girl, whom is sick of the hustle and bustle of L.A..

It took me forever to pack my bags, I mean, what's a trip without overpacking. Even though we're only going for nine days, you never know what's going to happen. Last time I counted, I had six bags, it may be more than that now, who knows. All I know is: Apollo better have room in his CR-V for my stuff too.

I felt awful for Apollo yesterday. Widget was vibrating, telling me to check his emotions, however, I didn't need my Widget to figure out what he was feeling: grief.

After the unfolding and resolving of the UR-1 incident/HAT-2 Sabotage, Apollo confided in me about his friendship with Clay. Both Clay and Apollo lost their mothers, hence why they got along so well. They ended up doing so much together: including taking long drives together to see their friends.

I just so happen to be the fortunate one that Apollo confided to. Even after accusing me of murdering Clay, he still found it in himself to trust me. And because of it, we became really close friends.

I'll be honest, and this better stay here: Apollo Justice is a good looking man. He tends to look damn good in a suit; I'd be lying if I said that I never glanced over at him at his desk whilst working. Something about the color red on him (mixed with his amazing physique) catches my attention constantly.

Apollo also perpetually finds ways to make me laugh. He can be a sarcastic asshole, but does it in a joking manner. When he's around, I tend to beam my smile more that I usually do.

However, he's like a brother to me. I don't like him, well, not in that sense.

Knock, Knock, Knock. "Open up, Drama Queen!" I hear from the other side of my door.

What. Did. He. Say?

"Not a chance, Craphole." I call him Craphole sometimes; it's a nickname from a video we both enjoyed watching.

I open the door, to see my senior-coworker, mimicking dry-humping. "God, you're such an ass, Apollo," I say to him. "C'mon, Athena, you know you love me." "Whatever you say, Justice. Whatever you say." He chuckles whilst shutting my door.

This is the most relaxed I have ever seen Apollo: clad in a maroon t-shirt, cargo shorts, and a pair of beat-up Nikes. It's a nice change to see him more casual, since I only really see Apollo in his work clothes.

Myself, on the other hand, I'm in a yellow tank top, a pair of plaid blue shorts, and a pair of flip flops. Long story short: I'm in my pajamas. However, my hair is down, for once. I know I should put it up, considering the California heat, but if I know Apollo as well I do, he'll keep the A/C blasting the entire time. If so, we'll be good.

"Seriously Athena? You packed this many bags?" He sighs. "I'm a girl, did you not realize that?" I interrogate him. He laughs, "No, really? I had a feeling there was something about you!" He roasts me, he roasts me badly. "C'mon, help me bring these to the car?" I start grabbing a few of my bags. Apollo comes over and takes a few of my bags as well.

"The sooner we leave, the sooner we're at Big Sur." He states. I saw his face drop when he said that, whilst Widget vibrated.

I need to cheer him up, quick.

"Hey, if you think about it, you're gonna be my personal chauffeur this entire trip!" I state, with a huge smirk.

"In your dreams, Cykes."

* * *

After stopping at the closest 76 for gas, and at Starbucks for some damn good coffee (my idea, by the way), we hit the road. My bags somehow all fit in Polly's car; although he has an SUV, I didn't trust that my luggage would fit.

I decided to throw on a hat, so my hair didn't look like total crap. Apollo thought running back into my room for a hat was a waste of time, however, he decided to grab his Dodgers hat from his bag. Makes total sense, right?

"Wanna play a game?" Apollo asks me. Excuse me, WHAT?! What kind of game would Apollo wanna play? He's driving for fucks sake.

"Um, sure? What did you have in mind?"

"Seven questions. I ask you a question, than you ask me, etc., etc.. You must answer ANYTHING I ask you. Deal?"

I sigh, what does this boy wanna know? "Deal. I'll start; Why did you wanna play this game?"

He laughs. "Because it'll pass the time. Plus, I can annoy you with your answers." He smirks the classic 'Apollo Justice: Sarcastic Attorney' smirk to me. God I love it when he does that. Wait what? Forget I ever said that.

I groan. "Fine. Your turn, Polly."

"What was your favorite thing to eat in England?" he asks. Funny he mentions this, considering I eat the Americanized form of this every single day. "Well, as you know, it's gotta be sweet if it's my favorite. It's called a 'Knickerbocker Glory," and it's basically an ice cream parfait. It was a dessert that I would have, maybe three times a week? I biked from London Met to this place called 'Udderlicious" and got some. They stopped making it since then, sadly enough."

"God, Athena. Now you're making me hungry!" he says, sipping from his black coffee. "Okay, you're up, you dork."

"Game on, Polly," I smirk whilst responding. "What's the craziest thing that happened to you whilst in college?"

He starts to laugh, "I guess I've never told you about my alma mater, have I?" He smirks at me. "Well, unlike Mr. Wright, I didn't go to Ivy University. I went to UCLA for law, both undergrad, and law school; passed the bar exam while there as well. Clay went to Sacramento State, so I didn't see him as often. My freshman year, my roommate's name was, get this: Norwood. He would go by Woody, however, his nickname was 'Hardwood', so you know this guy would be fun to hang with. Well, it was Woody's idea that I, and a few of our friends would go through fraternity recruitment as a joke. I wasn't originally down for the idea, but Woody called it the 'Free pub crawl,' so I tagged along."

I fake gasp, "Apollo Justice, attorney in the making, defied the legal drinking age? I am ashamed!" I spew sarcasm through my teeth, whilst winking at the man.

He laughs, "Yes, I admit it, officer. Go ahead, take my badge away." He jests with me. "Anyway, back to my story. We saw approximately seven or eight different frats in that one day; take into account the two to three beers we each had, we were drunk by the fifth or sixth frat house we got to. At house seven, which was Sigma Pi, Woody had the brilliant idea to steal their keg. He and our other friend, Cartlan, snuck into their common room, and stole the keg while our friend Devon started puking on their front room's carpet. Woody got caught transporting the keg, and he, Cartlan, and Devon were kicked off of fraternity row by Campus Police. I, on the other hand, wasn't caught. I actually continued with rush; I ended up getting a bid from Pi Kappa Phi. I decided against staying with them, and opted for the honor societies; making four of them by the time I graduated."

"Well damn, we got us a smart one over here!" I jest. "It seems like you had a good time in college."

He giggles. "Well, I answered your question, Ms. Cykes. Now, it's your turn. How on Earth did you become fluent in Spanish?"

I roll my eyes. "I have a Spanish minor; I started taking Spanish whilst in high school. England offers many languages, but remembering how many Spanish-speaking countries there are near the U.S., I chose that. I took up to the sixth year of Spanish whilst in high school, and continued with it in college. I've been working with Mr. Wright on possibly taking cases for Spanish-speaking clients, and I being able to translate for them."

His face lit up whilst I said so. "Really? Well, I hope Mr. Wright allows you to. That would be really interesting to use your Spanish in the courtroom." He gives me one of those friendly shoulder punches. "Your turn, nerd."

"Okay, can we turn the radio on, please?" I ask.

"Oh, sure." He says, allowing me to find a station to listen to. I change it to the local Top 40 station.

 _"_ _Despacito. This is how we do it down in Puerto Rico. I just wanna hear you screaming, "¡Ay, Bendito!" I can move forever cuando esté contigo ¡Bailalo!"_

 **Yes.**

I start singing along, _"Pasito a pasito, suave suavecito. Nos vamos pegando, poquito a poquito."_

Apollo screams. "GAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Sorry, Polly. This is what you get for being my personal chauffeur.


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: Oh my God, guys. Thank you so much for the support for this story, I appreciate it greatly! To be honest, the idea for this fanfiction came to me whilst tipsy (I am the legal drinking age, I promise), and I never would believe that I would have such a following. Thank you for supporting my love of Justicykes, Ace Attorney fans! Anyway, here is Chapter 3! Shout-out to YashKProductions for the suggestion! Thanks! ~ Emily_**

Chapter 3

July 22, 2017

11:34 AM PST

Somewhere on I-5 North

Well, a few hours into our drive and, you know, I'm actually having fun. Sure, I guess it was a little corny to ask Athena to play the "seven questions" game, but I had my reasons to. Plus, it was interesting to learn a bit about Athena's past that I didn't previously know.

We have both switched positions in my car; Athena is driving, while I sit in the passenger seat. I needed a break, and I can tell that Athena was itching to sit elsewhere, therefore, we switched.

I was also getting tired of listening to whatever Top 40 station she had playing as well. I mean, there were a couple songs that I liked, such as the "Sit down, be humble" song, as well as the "You just want attention" song, but they are just all so repetitive. I'm not a fan of poppy-dance music, and that's all that it seems the Top 40 stations play.

However, looking over at Athena singing and moving to the beat of each song was very entertaining. She did so very effortlessly; it was hypnotizing to watch her. Not to mention, seeing her in her own natural beauty was refreshing.

This is to never be repeated, but Athena Cykes is one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met. Her red hair, eyes as blue as the ocean; and **don't** get me started on her body, I could speak about that for ages. She doesn't wear much makeup, nor does she do crazy things to impress men, which, to me, is perfectly fine. She's pretty darn perfect the way she is.

Again, this will never be repeated.

She's sitting in the driver's seat, pretty sure in her pajamas, yet her confidence makes it seem like she's wearing a ballgown. That's rare to find in a girl.

I notice a song that I do not particularly care for being repeated on the radio for the second time, and I have an idea.

"Hey 'Thena? Is it okay if we play some of my music?" I ask. "Sure! Sorry for hogging your radio, Polly. I keep forgetting that this is your car." She presses the Aux button, as I set up some music on my phone.

I shuffled my music on my iPhone, and an oldy, but goody started playing:

 _"_ _Loving you isn't the right thing to do. How could I ever change the things that I feel?"_

"Apollo, turn this song up!" Athena demands. She starts singing along, knowing each and every word to the song.

"Athena Cykes, since when do you know a Fleetwood Mac song?" I ask, with one of my trademark 'smirks.'

"Well, surprise to you, Apollo, I was not entirely uncultured whilst living in England. The family whom I lived with had seen them live maybe eight or nine times since the late 1970s? Not to mention that my mother, Metis Cykes, was also a fan of theirs. She had the 'Rumours' album in her car, and would play their music every now and then." She declares, with a fellow smirk.

Once the chorus of the song appeared, we both screamed the lyrics, as if we were performing a concert for the cars surrounding us on I-5.

 _"_ _You can go your own way, go your own way. You can call it another lonely day. You can go your own way, go your own way."_

I started to laugh, which I am guessing caused Athena to laugh as well. Seeing her smile as much as she did, singing along to music that I grew up listening to as well, it was a bit heartwarming.

To be honest, I've never had this much fun driving as I have with Athena. Even driving with Clay and the girls we would pick up in L.A. could not top this.

When Clay and I would go up to Santa Rosa, he would be the one whom the girls would talk to; Clay was a ladies man, and would use any topic the girls brought up as an opportunity to flirt. They could have brought up their periods, and Clay would have a flirtatious comeback for them, like "Well, if you got cramps, I'll be right there to tickle them away" or something like that. Because of this, he would be the one whom the girls would stay with during the trips.

I, on the other hand…I am so awkward with women. They could ask me a question, I would answer it, and then have a good five-to-ten minutes of silence. I would keep to myself while in Santa Rosa as well, meanwhile, Clay would have two-to-three girls cuddling with him in bed.

Clay was my bro, but he was never one to "settle down" with one girl. He was a bit misogynistic too, unfortunately, and I learned from him certain things that are what **not** to do with women.

"Apollo, you like The 1975 too?" Athena asks. I must have zoned out, because the song had changed. "The Sound" was playing through my car speakers now.

"Uh…" I say, scratching my head. "Yeah…they're a guilty pleasure." I shake my head.

"Uh huh, and I guess you didn't know that I saw them live in England, right?" She says to me, with another one of her 'Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney' smirks.

"God Dammit, Athena. You always have to one-up me, don't you?" I smirk back at her. Then, I joke around with her, "Maybe you need to take me to one of their concerts now."

She laughs, "Maybe I do. I think it would be fun going to a concert with you."

Wait, what? What did she say?

I laugh, trying to hide my cheeks starting to blush. "Yeah, I think it would be fun going with you too."

I start to see her blush too. Wait, what am I doing? I need a witty comeback…

"Well, you'd have to deal with my Chords of Steel screaming the words to the songs. I don't know how you would deal with me."

She chuckles. "And you'd have to deal with 'Athena Cykes: Fangirl Révolutionairre;' I wonder if you're up for that challenge."

"You're on, Mouthface." 'Mouthface' comes from this Team Starkid musical that we've watched together with Trucy. Mr. Wright would have my head if he knew we showed it to her, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him.

"Whatever you say, Craphole."

* * *

Athena and I switched positions again; Myself driving, her in the passenger seat. My car's clock says 2:01 PM, giving us almost a half an hour left of our drive. We're now on Route 68, somewhat close to the Salinas exit. Athena fell asleep for a bit in the passenger seat, but woke up about 15 minutes ago, after the highway started getting a bit bumpy.

We sat in silence for maybe an hour. However, it wasn't an awkward silence; it was more like a happy silence. We spoke a lot, and our voices needed a bit of a break.

We would be there by maybe 2:30-2:45. Mr. Wright texted me at around noon, stating that they arrived and that Pearls was very excited to see us again. He also said that Maya was at the food store, and asked if burgers were okay for dinner.

It's not like we have a choice for dinner, really. Whenever Mr. Wright and Maya invite us over for dinner, we have the same thing: burgers and chopped salad. Hopefully, our entire vacation will not consist of burgers and salad. Maybe a night out for sushi, or finding a noodle bar, particularly for Trucy, would be a great alternative.

"Apollo?" Our silence is broken by Athena's curiosity.

"Yes, Athena?" I respond.

"How are California beaches? This sounds embarrassing, but I haven't been to the beach since I was eleven."

My bracelet isn't reacting, so I know she's telling the truth.

"Well, the waves can reach as high as some L.A. skyscrapers, so I would be careful if you were to go out far in the water. Unless you can communicate with dolphins, you know." I mess around with her.

She chuckles again. "Apollo Justice, just because I have red hair, doesn't mean I am a mermaid." She playfully, yet lightly, punches my arm. "However, that doesn't mean I don't wish to be one."

We stop at a gas station somewhere on Route 1, near Garrapata State Park. While there, Athena went into the convenience store to get us some chips and pretzels to hold us over for the last half an hour of our drive. She brought back an iced coffee for herself, and a Red Bull for me. She knows that I prefer Red Bull over coffee, and I appreciate that she remembered that from our first few cases at work.

"Half an hour left, Polly. Want me to drive?" She asks me.

"Nah, I think I can do it. But thanks for offering. I appreciate it." I tell her.

"Thanks for letting me be your driving buddy, Apollo. I don't think I could have driven all this way by myself, nor do I think you could have." She puts her hand over mine on the gear shift. Wait, what?

"Yeah, of course. I'm happy you wanted to join me." I laugh.

Once we were driving near the coastline, Athena became a bit jumpy.

"Polly, look! It's the beach!" She kept repeating herself.

"Yeah, I know." I repeated myself to her. It's like she's never seen the beach before. Well, she **did** say that she hasn't been to the beach in seven years.

"We're almost there, just about five-to-ten more minutes." I tell her.

* * *

Those five to ten minutes seemed to pass us very quickly, as we arrive in Big Sur. Athena shined a large smile, as did I. It felt amazing to finally be here after five and a half hours of driving.

We pull up to the condo, and it was **huge**. Like, something out of a Forbes magazine. Not like I look at those in line at the supermarket or anything.

"Whoa, this place is amazing." Athena declares.

Just then, the door opened to an excited Trucy and Pearls. "POLLY AND THENA!" Pearls screams at the top of her lungs. She runs over to us and squeezes the both of us into a hug. "I've missed you guys so much! How have you guys been? Has Mr. Nick been good to you guys?" She obsessively asks us. God, it's like she's a hyperactive guinea pig.

"Pearl, give them some space! They just got here and must need to stretch." Maya walks out the door to greet us. "Hi Apollo, Hi Athena." She hugs us both. "How was the drive?" She asks us.

"It was good," Athena explains. "Long, but entertaining." She smirks over at me.

"At least Athena didn't cause an accident." I jest to her. "Oh, fuck off Apollo." She stares at me, hands on her hips.

"Language, Athena. You may be on vacation, but you're still around a minor." Mr. Wright appears from the condo.

"Nick, you act like Trucy's never heard that word before. She goes to public school, she probably hears that word every day of her life. Let the kids have some fun." She gives Mr. Wright a shoulder massage while calming him down.

"Whatever you say, Maya." He states, while placing a kiss on her lips. "Come on in, allow us to give you a tour." The happy couple, Trucy, and Pearls walk us through the two-story condo. Mr. Wright explained how he found it on Airbnb for a nice rental price, and Maya butt in, claiming that she paid for a lot of it. The first floor contained the living room, dining area, large kitchen, laundry room, deck area, and a huge outdoor pool. The second that Mr. Wright said there was a pool, Trucy begged Athena to go swimming with her. Athena, not ready to swim yet, promised Trucy to go swimming with her tomorrow.

The second floor is a bit smaller than the first, but still bigger than my apartment at home, so I can't complain. The first room we saw was the master bedroom, which happened to be for Mr. Wright and Maya. I made it my goal to stay as far away from their bedroom as possible; who knows what would be going on in that room. Next to them was their master bathroom, which we were told was off-limits. Next to the master bathroom was a room with two full-sized beds, and light pink wallpaper. "This is Pearl and Trucy's room, considering the color of the room." Maya states. "Trucy! We can stay up and watch reruns of the Pink Princess! It'll be so much fun!" Pearls squeals.

Athena nudges me and whispers, "I think Pearls is a bit too excited for this vacation." I laugh and whisper back to her with sarcasm, "No, I couldn't tell tell at all."

The spare bathroom was right next to Pearls' and Trucy's room, which Maya explained we would have to share with the girls.

Maya then opens the door to the next room over, which housed a queen sized bed. "So, who's room is this?" I question Maya.

"This will be your room. The condo only came with 3 rooms, I'm sorry you guys." She says, with worry on her face.

"Wait a minute," Athena states. "We…we…"

"We have to share a bed?!" I finish her sentence for her.

"Phoenix and I are really sorry guys…" Maya says, with her head down.

Athena gives Maya a hug. "Maya, it's fine. We'll find a way to manage. Don't worry about us." She always finds the best words to say to cheer somebody up.

"Thanks Athena. Well, if you will excuse me, I'm gonna meet my boyfriend outside near the pool. Holler down if you guys need anything, okay?" She says while she exits our room.

Well, what a situation this turned out to be. I'm stuck sharing a queen-sized bed with my junior co-worker for this entire vacation. God dammit, Mr. Wright…

"Athena, are you sure we can figure this whole thing out?" I ask her. Sitting down on the bed.

She comes and sits next to me, putting her arm around my back. "Apollo, what other choice do we have? Plus, I think we can manage. Think about it, we'll only be here to sleep. We can figure that part out later tonight. Until then, let's enjoy the fact that we're on vacation, okay?"

Like I said previously, Athena always has the right words to say.

"Okay then. First one to finish unpacking gets first dibs on my unopened pack of Coronas." I bet her, with a smirk.

Athena matches her smirk with mine. "Game on."


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Whew, Chapter 3 was long. Hey guys! Thanks again for all the support, I really appreciate it! This is a fun fanfiction to write. Although I work full-time during the week, I always find myself thinking about ideas for this ff. I apologize if it feels slow; to me, relationships take their time, and since this fanfic takes place within a span of 10 days, it will be a bit slow. However, Justicykes is developing, I promise. Anyway, enjoy! ~ Emily_**

Chapter 4

July 22, 2017

4:13 PM PST

Fey-Wright Rental Condo

Apollo didn't even stand a chance of winning our little bet. Sure, I packed a lot of bags, but I pack my things in packing cubes. Therefore, I slipped them into the set of drawers that Apollo designated as mine as soon as I opened my suitcase. The three dresses I packed were taken right to our closet and hung up, and my toiletries I hung right on the door of the spare bathroom. Long story short: I finished unpacking first.

I decided to wait for Apollo to crack open this pack. I felt like it was unfair for me to steal his beers, especially since he bought them prior to leaving. Also, it's no fun to drink alone, so Apollo could be my drinking buddy for the day.

To be honest, I'm not the biggest beer fan, but this is one beer that just **screams** vacation, so I won't mind. Plus, when you're not yet 21, you get what you can get.

I hear Apollo come down the stairs. "What, you here to rub your victory in?" He chuckles. I shake my head. "Nah, I wanted to wait for you." I pass him one of the Coronas from the case, whilst I grab one for myself. "It's no fun drinking by yourself," I state. He opens both of our bottles, and returns mine to me. "Cheers to a great vacation, and no case files for nine days," Apollo toasts. We clink bottles, and I take a sip. It tastes a lot smoother than I thought it would be, so much I wouldn't mind having more than one.

"Wanna go chill by the pool?" Apollo suggests. "Sure, lemme go change first. Watch my beer." I leave my bottle on the table, and I run up the stairs.

I decide on a coral-colored bikini top, with a black bikini bottom, both from a little store called Victoria's Secret. I take my hat off, slip into some black flip-flops, and throw my sunglasses on. I leave Widget on my bedside table, since he's not waterproof at all. Then, I confidently walk downstairs.

"Girl, where's the rest of your clothes?" Apollo asks me, sarcastically. I grab my beer from his hand, "Oh please, Apollo. Don't pretend you don't **dream** of seeing me like this." I jest with him. I walk over to the pool, where Trucy and Pearl were swimming. "Hi Athena!" Trucy yells from the pool. Pearls turns around and waves. "Wanna join us?" Pearls yells. "Not right now, guys. I'm gonna sit and relax. Maybe after dinner?" Trucy nods, and continues playing with Pearls.

I sit down on one of the lawn chairs, and place my beer bottle on the table beside me. It took me until now to realize that Apollo disappeared somewhere. Oh well, I guess I can take this time to myself. I take the remote for the speakers, and I change the channel to the Top 40 station. "Mask Off" by Future is playing, and I sing along to the melody.

You know, I haven't really taken any time to myself since moving home to the U.S.. I work my ass off every day, trying to be the best Lawyer I can be, as well as promoting Analytical Psychology. I spend my weekends sleeping, well, when we're not on a case, that is. I also work out, but that's routine for me now. For example, I woke up at around 6 this morning for my daily workout. Once I finish my workouts, I reward myself with a glass of orange juice

.  
Wait, I was talking about time for myself. I don't do much to relax anymore, other than sleep and music. I guess that's something I can do, now that Boss's offering us vacation time.

Next thing you know, Shawn Mendes's "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" is playing over the speakers, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Apollo walking out of the condo, towards me. He changed into a pair of Blue ombre-ish swim trunks, and a pair of flip-flops.

To be honest, it seemed like he was walking as slow as those hot guys do in movies, whilst walking near a pool, and to the beat as well. Apollo looked **good** , and I mean it when I say **good**. He has good physique; the type of body that screams that he works out every day. Earlier today, I noticed his arm muscles whilst driving us here, and the tone of his arms made him five times more attractive.

Then, in that moment, Apollo removed his shirt, to reveal…a six pack? Oh God dammit, Apollo, is there anything else I don't know about you? I close my mouth, to ensure that I don't start drooling. This is my co-worker, for fucks sake, I can't be all googley-eyed over him.

"Sorry, would have been here sooner, but I couldn't find my flip-flops." He blurts out, whilst sitting down next to me. "Nah, you're good, I've just been hanging out." I state, whilst taking another sip of my beer.

Boss walked over to the grill with the burgers Maya must have bought from the supermarket, as well as some corn on the cob. I notice Maya in the kitchen, whipping up some salad. Surprise surprise, we're having burgers with Nick and Maya, again.

"Ready for another one, 'Thena?" Apollo asks me, holding up his empty Corona bottle. I stare at mine, noticing that I'm down to about two sips left. "Sure, I have a feeling we'll be whipping through these by the end of the night." I finish my bottle, and give it to Apollo to dispose of. "Yeah well, maybe tomorrow we can run out and get more." He winks at me. I smirk back at him, whilst he walks back into the kitchen.

Once Apollo returned with two more beers, the radio changed to a Bruno Mars song. Apollo walked over to me, dancing and singing along. I decide to stand up, and dance along with him.

 _"_ _Girls, what y'all trying to do? 24 karat magic in the air. Head to toe so player. Uh, look out!"_

"Well well, Apollo Justice knows a pop song. How the tables have turned." I joke around with him, clinking bottles with him a second time. "I'm not entirely uncultured either, Ms. Cykes," he answers, whilst both of us take a sip from our beers.

"Apollo! Athena! Come join us!" Pearls yells from the deep end of the pool. I didn't know she could swim that well.

Trucy stayed in the shallow end of the pool; I guess Boss never let her take the deep water test in school. Apollo placed his beer on the table beside his chair, slipped off his flip-flops, and cannonball'd into the deep end of the pool.

"Come on, Athena. Or are you too chicken?" He smirks at me with that trademark "Apollo" smirk again. I sigh, then I place my beer down on the table beside me. I drop my sunglasses next to the bottle, slip off my flip-flops, and I sit on the edge of the pool, my feet in the chlorine water.

"Athena, that's not in the water!" Trucy declares from the other side of the pool. "Aren't I right, Pearl?" She waves over to Pearls. "You are WRIGHT, Trucy!" Pearls giggles. God, that was so corny.

Next thing I know, two hands touch both of my legs, and they drag me into the pool. My entire body goes underwater, and right back up to catch my breath.

"Apollo, you asshole! You're gonna get it now!" I jest with my senior co-worker. I go underwater, whilst he is turned around, in the shallow end by himself (Trucy left the pool), and I do the unthinkable. In one swift motion, his trunks were down.

"Athena! What the fuck?!" He grabs his trunks and pulls them back up. "Payback's a bitch, Polly." I stick my tongue out at him.

"Oh, you've really done it now." He smirks at me, as he chases me around the pool.

Right before he caught up to me, Boss walks over to the pool. "Dinner's ready, come inside and get it while it's hot!"

Apollo whispers over to me, "More like burnt, am I right?" He winks at me. I chuckle at the comment, whilst we both remove ourselves from the pool, and dry off.

* * *

We sit in the kitchen eating area, since four of the six of us were partially-drenched. There were burgers, corn, a Caesar salad, chicken, and a nice fruit salad for us to choose from. Boss and Maya cracked open a bottle of "grape juice" (he's not fooling anybody, it's a Chianti), whilst Apollo and I stick to our case of Corona. As for Trucy and Pearls, they both were drinking Arizona Green Tea. Not gonna lie, it's awkward drinking in front of Mr. Wright, considering I'm technically underaged, and I'm only a year or two older than both Trucy and Pearls. However, he's not really giving two-shits what I do; I'm guessing since I have a college degree and I passed the BAR exam at 17, he considers me mature enough to make decisions on my own. Who knows, maybe he forgot that I'm only 18.

I turn my head to see Maya binging on like, three burgers. This is typical; Boss warned us before he introduced us to Maya that she has a special connection with burgers. Boss also told us that she loves putting peppers on her burgers, which I found to be disgusting; not too sure how Apollo feels about that.

I ate a bit of everything. The burgers were really good, despite Boss's cooking skills, and my favorite thing had to be the baked chicken that Maya made. I sure hope Boss keeps Maya around; she knows how to cook, maybe he could learn something from her.

Once dinner was finished, I, Pearls, and Trucy helped clean up the kitchen. Apollo and Boss went outside to clean off the grill, and to grab the beach chairs out of Mr. Wright's Chevy Cruze.

I sat back at my pool chair, donning my fourth Corona of the night, once the chores were finished. Apollo sat back down next to me, whilst Pearls sat on the other side of me; Trucy went back inside to shower.

"Athena, do you think Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick will ever get married?" Pearls asks me. When I processed what she said, I spit out my drink. "Um, well…" I start. "How long have they been dating, Pearls?" I wipe my mouth, and replace the alcohol I spit out. "They've known each other for 10 years, but only have been dating for about 5 years." She slumps into her chair. I sit up and look right at her, "Relationships work at their own course. There isn't a set time that people should get married at. For some, it takes ten years; for others, it takes three months. It all depends on the couple. If Mr. Wright and Maya like where they are at now, then there's no rush to get married. But who knows, maybe Boss has something up his sleeve." I wink at the girl.

A smile appears on Pearls's face. "Thanks Athena, I appreciate that!" She hugs me. "Hey Athena? Um, this may sound bad, but…what does your drink taste like?"

Well fuck, I never thought I would hear those words come out of Pearl Fey's mouth. "It's hard to describe. We have limes in ours, which makes it taste better. Without them, it's kind of like water." I take a sip from my drink, really noticing how the lime makes it taste better.

"Oh, okay!" Pearls says, laying back down in her chair.

I can tell the curiosity is killing her. I look around, to see whether or not Maya or Boss was looking. "Okay fine, you have have one sip. But, once you do, drink some of your tea to mask your breath. Maya would probably have my head if she found out you tried beer." I pass my bottle to Pearl. She looked around, making sure Maya couldn't see her as well, and then took a sip. By the face she made, I could tell she didn't like it. "Ew, that's disgusting!" She passed the bottle back to me, and downed the rest of her iced tea. "It's an…acquired taste." Apollo states. Her and I laugh at the statement. "Well, thanks anyway, Athena. I think I'll stick to iced tea and water for now." I smile at her, "I think you're better off." The three of us laugh.

The rest of the night consisted of us talking our brains off about life: Pearls admitted that she wanted to go to college, rather than continue her spirit medium training. However, she had no idea which college, nor what major she wanted to concentrate in. Apollo told me he sensed by his bracelet Pearls twiddling her thumbs when talking about majors; he thinks she knows what she wants to do, but is too afraid to say so. Maybe a talk with Maya will help with that.

By the time I checked my phone for the time, it was already around 10 PM. Pearls was off to bed, whilst Trucy was already in bed. Boss and Maya walked outside, both clad in pajamas.

"We're off to bed," Boss announced. "Remember, we're off to the beach tomorrow, so prepare to wake up early."

"Goodnight guys!" Maya states, whilst yawning. "Goodnight, see you in the morning." Boss also states, whilst the two walk back inside, walking up the stairs.

I turn to Apollo, whilst turning the music off. "It's pretty late, wanna head in for the night?" I request. "Sure, I'm pretty beat myself."

We gather our items from the pool area, and retreat back inside the condo.

Apollo allows me to shower first, considering I would take considerably longer to wash and become clean. Once I finished, I threw on my favorite pair of pajamas: orchid-colored lace up shorts, and a matching long sleeve shirt that says: 'Let Me Sleep,' as well as my least-sexy undergarments. If I have to share a bed with my male senior co-worker, I'm gonna be covered up as much as possible.

I walk out of the shower, and into, sigh, our room, to see Apollo watching some show on the TV. I think it's some late night talk show, but figuring that out is the least of my worries right now.

"Your turn to shower, Mr. Justice." I nudge to him, as I attempt to dry my hair with the towel I was using.

He nods his head, grabs some clothes from his drawers, and heads to the spare bathroom to shower.

Whilst Apollo showers, I sent an alarm for 6 AM, so I can get my workout in. I packed my yoga mat, so I can do some type of calming workout before we go to the beach. From there, I retreat to my iPad, so I can continue watching SVU on Netflix. I swear, I can't remove the legal system from my everyday life.

At the end of the episode I was watching, Apollo reappears in our room, looking refreshed from his shower. He was clad in a blue 'UCLA Bruins' shirt, and a pair of basketball shorts.

"Ready for bed, Mouthface?" he asks me. I turn my iPad off, and move over to the right side of the bed. "Yes I am, Craphole." He and I both giggle at our nicknames. Apollo shuts the lights off, as well as turns off the TV. He then gets in bed, sharing the covers with me. We both face polar opposite sides: I facing the right side of the room, Apollo facing the left side of the room.

"Apollo? I'm sorry we got stuck in this predicament." I state, trying to close my eyes.

"It's fine, it's not like we had any other choice." He turns his head, so our faces meet. "I'm Apollo Justice, I have no choice but to be fine," he smirks while asserting. I chuckle, placing my hand over his face. "I guess Athena Cykes must be fine as well," I smirk. I see Apollo smile, therefore, I shoot him a smile back.

"Goodnight, Athena," Apollo whispers, whilst turning around.

"Goodnight, Apollo," I whisper back, as I close my eyes, and drift off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N: Long time, no see right? Sorry for my lack of content lately; allow me to update you on what's been going on. To start, my boyfriend and I officially moved into our own home, and we have been nothing but busy preparing our new home. Work has also been crazy for me, therefore, lack of time to write. Anyway, I'm back and better than ever. Enjoy everyone! ~ Emily_**

Chapter 5

July 23, 2017

7:30 AM PST

Fey-Wright Rental Condo

I hear my alarm going off, however, I have no motivation to turn it off. What a great start to the morning, am I right?

I somehow fester up some strength to turn my alarm off, and sit up in bed. I made a mistake drinking four beers last night; I have a headache, and I really don't feel like getting out of bed. Don't judge me, I know I am a lightweight. I don't drink as much as I did in college, therefore, lightweight.

But, if I'm being honest, the hangover is worth it; I had a lot of fun yesterday. Between the drive here, hanging by the pool, and dinner, I enjoyed myself, something I haven't done in a long while. Not to mention, having Athena there made it a lot better.

Speaking of which, where is she?

I remember what happened last night, but I'm confused as to why I did not freak out sharing a bed with my junior co-worker, as I knew I would.

Look, Athena may be one of my really close friends, but I can't share a bed with her. It's very unprofessional, and just plain awkward. I need to find her and tell her this. Maybe I can sleep on the couch in the living room, I hope Mr. Wright wouldn't mind.

I grab for my phone next to me, but my hand touches something else. It's a napkin, holding two Advil caplets, with writing on it:

 _"_ _Apollo, if you wake up anything like I did this morning, you're gonna need these. - Athena."_

Next to these items were a glass of water, an unopened Red Bull, and my sunglasses.

Wow, a hangover cure kit, I could have used multiples of these in college. But in all seriousness, this was very nice of Athena to do.

Wait, where did she go?

I take the two Advil with the glass of water she provided, slipped on my sunglasses, and took the Red Bull with me on my hunt to find her.

I walk right down the stairs, only to find Athena doing…well, I'm not sure what she's doing. She's on some pink mat, standing with her feet and arms apart. Not too sure what she's doing, but it looks weird.

"Um, hi?" I whisper to her.

The moment she heard me, she tipped over, falling on the floor. "Huh? Oh, it's only you." She answers, whispering.

"What are you doing?" I question her actions. "It looks like you're trying to turn yourself into a tree."

"A warrior pose," she responds, a bit more snappy than usual. "Have you never seen somebody practice yoga before?"

Huh, Athena Cykes practices yoga? Again, you learn something new everyday.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know you did yoga. I was hoping to talk to you about something." I reply.

She and I sit down on the couch, both slouching over. "Look," I state. "I know we were drunk last night, so we never really talked about this rooming situation." Athena sits up a bit when I say this. "Yeah, I was meaning to talk to you about that too. Apollo, you know you're such a great friend to me, but I'm not comfortable sharing a bed with you."

I sigh in relief. "I was thinking the same exact thing, Athena. You can keep the bed, I'm gonna ask Mr. Wright if I can sleep on the couch, okay?"

She sits back, folding her arms, "Wait, no, you can keep the bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

Oh no, I am **not** having an argument about chivalry with Athena, while hungover, at almost 8 AM.

"No Athena, you're gonna keep the bed, I insist," I express to her.

"Why? You're the one who deserves the bed!" She argues with me.

We continue to argue about this for a quick minute, only to be interrupted by footsteps down the stairs.

"Good morning, my friends!" Maya sings (very loudly, may I add) while walking into the living room. "How are we on this very fine morning?" She asks. "Oh, it's way too dark in here," Maya adds, opening up the blinds and curtains.

Oh my dear God, the sun's **blinding** me. Athena and I hide our eyes, grumbling.

I can already tell, this is gonna be a long day.

* * *

I watch Athena down three glasses of water at breakfast, as I do the same. I can see the look on Mr. Wright's face, without even looking up at him through my sunglasses. He knows we're both hungover, I can tell he's smirking.

"You guys are a bunch of lightweights," he breaks the silence. "By the time I was your age, Apollo, the only thing that would get to my head would be Tequila shots."

Um, that's not something to be proud of Mr. Wright.

Trucy interrupts, "Daddy, what's that?"

Mr. Wright took a bite of his eggs, not even looking up at his daughter, "You're never gonna find out, Trucy."

I guess it was a good thing that Trucy was nowhere around when Athena let Pearls sip from her Corona bottle. If she was, she would have asked non-stop questions. I swear, Mr. Wright shelters this girl a bit too much.

Breakfast consists of Eggs, Bacon, and Sausage, courtesy of one Miss Maya. She started cooking after blinding Athena and I with the sunshine through the windows. Mr. Wright came down the stairs with Pearls and Trucy maybe a half an hour afterwards. Not gonna lie, Maya's cooking is on-par. Mr. Wright would be stupid to let her go; as the saying goes, 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' So far, Maya's doing such.

"Athena! Are you coming to the beach with us?" Trucy asks.

"Yeah, I don't see why not. Are you up for it, Apollo?" Athena turns her head and whacks me with her hair.

"Ack, watch where you whip your hair back and forth, Athena," I jest with her. "And yeah, I'm up for the beach," I speak, as I take another bite of sausage.

"Great! We'll meet you guys there? Apparently, Nick forgot his bathing suit at home, so he needs to buy a new one," Maya chuckles.

I turn to look at Mr. Wright, trying to hold back from laughing. I can see from the corner of my eye that Athena is trying to hold back a few chuckles too. "Well, you try packing for yourself, **and** your seventeen year-old daughter, and then talk to me about forgetting something."

"Well, we'll meet you there then, Boss," Athena exclaims. "Would you like us to take Trucy and Pearl whilst you run your errands?" She asks.

"With you two, grouchy and hungover? I don't think so. They can wait for us in our car," Phoenix explains, a bit aggressively.

I sigh, "Okay then, whatever you say, Mr. Wright." I take a sip of my almost-finished Red Bull.

"It's okay, Polly!," Trucy yells from the other side of the table. "We can hang out at the beach together! We could build sand castles, and search for sea shells, it'll be so much fun!"

God, Trucy is such a child.

"Sounds good, Trucy," I express to her, pretending to be excited.

Mr. Wright stands up, grabbing his and Maya's plates. "Well, we better get ready to go. Apollo, I'll leave the spare keys on the counter before we leave. I'll also leave you the beach umbrella and chairs, since you're probably get there before we do. We'll let you know when we're there. Sound good?"

"Sure, sounds good. We'll see you there then!" Athena states.

I watch as Mr. Wright, Maya, Pearls, and Trucy leave the kitchen, placing their dishes in the dishwasher, and scuttle up the stairs.

"So, Mr. Justice, ready to hit the beach?" Athena responds, grabbing her dishes and placing them in the dishwasher.

As she bends over, I randomly happen to glance over at her. Athena's clad in her work out clothes still: a yellow tank-top, purple leggings, and sneakers. I can't help but notice her body in the outfit she is wearing; it shows every curve to her figure. I'm not gonna lie, there are days where I just glance over at Athena, at her work desk, and I just stare in awe; for an eighteen year old, her body is profound.

She stands back up, as I notice that I have not answered her question. "Yes, I am. But first, can we make a pit stop?" I respond. Her face speaks confusion, "Sure, I mean, it's your car." I smirk at her, "Aw come on, you don't wanna know what Apollo has up his sleeve?"

I see her blush a little, while I notice Athena's widget light up as green, meaning she's happy. That makes my heart feel warm, knowing that she's happy.

"Well, if you put it that way, then I have no objections."

I smirk, "Well then, Tiger, shall we get ready?" I notice that she rolls her eyes at me. "Alright, let's get going!"

* * *

It takes me, maybe, five minutes to get ready for the beach: change into my bathing suit, grab a beach towel, and pack some food, done. Athena, on the other hand, takes fucking forever to get ready. However, she started walking down the stairs, and, I just forget how long it took her to get ready. Like those corny, high school movies where girls walk down the stairs right before prom, Athena was walking down the stairs just as those movies, leaving me a bit star-struck.

"So, ready to go?" She asks me, with myself staring at her like a bumbling idiot. "Yeah, but could you help me put the umbrella and chairs in the car? I can't do all this alone."

She smirks, with a plan in mind. "Sure, but you get to carry my beach bag then!," throwing her bag my way. The second it lands in my hands, I can feel the weight of it, descending my body. Damn it, Athena, what did you pack in this? Did you get a ton of rocks, Charlie Brown?

After everything was in my car, we head off to the beach. Sure, we're staying in Big Sur, but we must drive through the State Park to get there; a technicality. However, we're making a quick pit-stop on our way to the beach, one that I haven't revealed to Athena yet.

We pull up, and Athena's face lights up. "PIZZA!" she howls. I knew she would be excited. If I know anything about Athena Cykes, it is her love for Italian food.

I smile, "Go ahead, go order us whatever kind of pizza you'd like." I go into my wallet, handing my junior co-worker about $30 in cash. "My treat," I state, watching Athena's face light up. "Hangover food?" she asks me. "Hell yeah, nothing beats pizza after a night of drinking, blame college for that knowledge." She rolls her eyes, as she walks into the pizza shop. I, on the other-hand, have my eyes on the liquor store next door.

I walk in, and I automatically get carded. I guess I still look underaged, albeit being 23. I know we're both still a bit hungover, but the Wright Anything Agency is on vacation, and I can do whatever I want. To be honest, I _could_ get in trouble offering alcohol to Athena, being she is only 18. However, I've been young once, and I'll let this slide, as long as we're on vacation.

I'm actually in here for her. I wanted to buy her something of her own, you know, something that she actually likes, and won't down because it's alcohol and she can't buy it herself. I settle on a four pack of Seagram's Escapes. I know Athena doesn't really like beer, so I think this would be a great alternative for her. I chose a fruit punch-like flavor for her as well.

After paying (and being carded again), I see her walking out of the pizza shop with a large pie. She looks at me, walking out of the liquor store, with a confused face. "For one whom is hungover, you would think they would avoid alcohol…" I smirk at her remark, holding up my purchase, "This is actually for you. I have the rest of my Coronas in the trunk, but I figured you would wanna drink something you'd actually like." She shakes her head, whilst looking at the ground. Then, she raises her head up at me, whispering, "Apollo Justice, Ace Attorney, buying alcohol for a minor. Are you trying to get in trouble?" I shake my head, "I've been young once, I know how it feels. You're better off drinking with us than sneaking drinks in a club. Or worse, a frat house." I wink, reminding her of our conversation yesterday.

"Whatever you say, frat boy." She shoves my arm. "Shall we?"

We get into the car, and we head for the beach.

* * *

It takes us maybe 15 to 20 minutes to get to the beach from the pizza shop. From there, we had to walk maybe five minutes from the parking lot to where the actual beach area was. The moment we got to the beach, I received a text from Trucy, stating that they were on their way. Apparently, they had to drive a far distance to find a store with beach apparel, so they would be there within 30-45 minutes. I guess Athena and I can soak up some rays while we wait.

We set up the umbrella, and the multiple beach chairs Mr. Wright gave us, and we sit under the warm, California sun. Athena opens up the pizza box, to reveal a large, Margherita pizza. I take out the paper plates that I packed, and we start devouring this pizza, as I grab a Corona from my cooler. I also pass a Seagrams bottle to Athena. "To a great day at the beach?" I propose. "Sure, to a great day at the beach," Athena responds, as we clink bottles. As we both take a sip, I notice her face shows more delight than yesterday. "This is really good, doesn't taste like liquor at all!"

I put my hand on her shoulder, "Just take it easy, okay? Since you can't taste it, it'll make you drink more. Let's take our time today, we have all day to relax." She puts her drink down, "Of course, I also don't wanna feel like I did this morning ever again," she says while softly punching my arm.

We sit here, on our own for maybe an hour. Athena and I discuss everything from work at the office, to our "awkward stages" in middle school, and to be honest, I'm really enjoying her company. Sure, I'm still sarcastic with her (like I always am), but I enjoy having serious conversations with Athena as well. The flow of the conversation never falls flat; we always find ways to continue to speak. And, I've never met a girl whom could hold long conversations with me. This is a first, and, I kind of like that about Athena.

"Hey you guys!," I hear from a distance, pausing my train of thought. It's Trucy, and she's running towards us. "We're finally here! Daddy couldn't decide between two different bathing suits, but ended up picking one that doesn't fit!" she jests. I see Mr. Wright, Maya, and Pearls walking towards us, the latter two trying to contain their laughter. I turn over to Athena, both her and I bursting out with laughter at the same time. Our boss looks ridiculous; the swim trunks he chose were blue with anchors on them, however they looked tight on him, his face resembling the side-eye emoji. I can already see the red mark around his stomach that he'll be complaining about later.

God dammit, Mr. Wright. You couldn't live up to your name and pick the right sized trunks?

"Well, we're finally here," Maya says, smiling. "I see you two are already enjoying yourselves," she turns the conversation onto us.

"Since we're all here, ready to hit the water?" Athena asks to the group.

"Sure! But sunscreen first?" Pearls asks.

"Not a problem! I packed a ton!" Maya says.

I feel Athena nudging me, "Well, Craphole? What do you say?"

I smirk at my junior co-worker, "You're on, Mouthface."


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: This is the farthest I've ever gotten in a fanfiction, I can't believe it. Hey everybody! Sorry for this chapter being so late, writer's block hit. However, I have my wonderful friend, Tiffany, to thank. She helped me get out of the block, and I finished this chapter! Yay! I will start working on Chapter 7 after the new year, once things calm down. Anyway, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! (PS: For those who have finished SOJ, Apollo's "inability to swim" does not apply to this fanfiction!)_**

 ** _~ Emily_**

Chapter 6

July 23, 2017

11:52 AM PST

Pfeiffer Beach Day Use

Not gonna lie, I can't look at the Boss without laughing. He looks fucking ridiculous; the waistband squeezing the life out of his gut. Why did Maya not stop her boyfriend from buying a bathing suit that did not fit him? Sigh, I guess Boss needs to learn these things for himself.

So far, I'm having a great time at the beach, even if we haven't gone in the water yet. This beach is absolutely beautiful; the sun shining directly on us, the waves crashing onto the shore. I could stay here all day, honestly.

Not to mention, I'm having a great time with Apollo here. We spoke for a good hour about, basically, anything and everything. He's a great person to talk to; you would expect him to be very serious, and only would talk about work, but he's a lot looser whilst not working on a case. I enjoy Apollo's company, especially at a place such as this.

Maya passes around the sunscreen, whilst I have my own spray bottle. Albeit living in Southern California, I happen to be extremely pale. Therefore, everyone else will be using SPF 40 or something, and I have SPF 80.

I watch Apollo receive the sunscreen bottle after Pearls. At that very moment, I watch as Apollo slips his shirt over his head, revealing his upper body. I stand next to him, in awe of his physique, yet again. How this man, at 23, lacking a daily workout routine, has a six pack like he does. Whilst I stand there, he sprays the sunscreen over his perfectly-built body.

Since I have my own sunscreen, I decide it's time to put it on and protect myself from the UV rays. I grab my SPF 80, and I shake up the bottle.

"Hey, allow me?" I hear from my left. Apollo holds his hand out, requesting me to hand my can of sunscreen over to him. I find this action very confusing; why on Earth would Apollo offer to spray my body with sunscreen? I guess he's trying to be helpful.

"Um, sure," I reply, handing him my can of spray. Right there, I remove my top and shorts, revealing my bathing suit.

This time, I went for a light blue triangle bikini top, with matching bottoms, from American Eagle. It's crocheted at the bottom, and super girly, like my personality.

As I do so, Apollo shakes the can, and proceeds to cover my body in sunscreen. Whilst he does so, however, I notice Apollo's eyes are closed, leaving me confused. I don't question him right away, instead, allowing him to continue applying it to my pale, ghost-like body.

Apollo finishes spraying me with the sunscreen, and passes the can back to me. "Hey Polly? Any particular reason you were closing your eyes?," I interrogate him. He puts on his _"I don't know what you're talking about"_ face, whilst scratching his head, "Well…"

At that moment, I felt water hit my entire back-side, drenching the back of my hair. I look over at Apollo, whom also is soaking wet. We turn around at the same time to see Trucy, holding an empty-yet-damp bucket, laughing.

She dumped the bucket on the both of us.

Apollo and I look at each other, smirking. She's gonna get it now.

"Come back here, you punk!" I hear him speak, running after the seventeen year-old. I notice her drop her bucket into the sand, as she leaps into action whilst being chased. I jog over to said bucket, pick it up, and fill it up with the ocean's calm water. As I attempt to catch up with my senior co-worker, and the Boss's daughter, I use my facial expressions to direct Polly out of the way. However, my attempt is moot, and whilst I pour the water onto Trucy, he gets hit with it as well.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that, Cykes," he smirks whilst making such a remark. I guess this is also payback for pulling his swim trunks down yesterday as well.

"Bring it, Justice," I jest, welcoming the challenge he presents.

I run, as Apollo chases me around the small amount of chairs of people soaking up the sun on the beach. It's a surprise that not many people are at the beach on a beautiful day such as this. I mean, whom would miss out on such an

opportunity? Fortunately, we haven't. I'm having a great time so far; what could possibly go wrong on a day like today?

Oh, right, I'm being chased by my co-worker. Shit.

I increase my speed, zooming around the sunbathers, until I notice Pearl building a sandcastle about five or six feet away from me. I decide to speed up, with no regrets. As I reach Pearl, I do the unexpected; I leap overtop of her, and continue running. I look behind me, as Apollo detours around Pearl, appearing out of breath.

I make it to the shoreline, pausing myself to take a breath. I sure as hell do not take my cardio workouts for granted, however, there's a point where you just physically run out of breath. That is where I am at right now. Once finally catching my breath, I scope around me; Apollo is nowhere in sight.

Raising my voice, I announce, as backing up into the water, "Ha! I guess that's one point for Athena Cykes: Courtroom Révolutionai-…"

I get cut off, as I feel arms surround my torso, pulling my backwards, head first, into the salty, ocean-water.

Once I garner the ability to pop my head out of the water again, I see my senior co-worker, laughing in front of me.

"I don't think so, Athena. One point for Gryffindor, here. Maybe next time, Hufflepuff." Apollo starts dancing around, chanting, "Apollo Justice, Clarion of Revelations, at your service!" The other beach-goers must find us crazy, running around like this. To be honest though, I couldn't care less. We're having fun, and if others don't believe we are, then screw them, and watching Apollo pounce around is pretty amusing.

From there, I take the opportunity to turn this around. Jumping up, I push Apollo's body down into the water, dunking his head. From underwater, you could see his "antennae" hair flatten; bubbles are appearing in front of him, from holding his breath.

A few seconds later, Apollo pushes himself out of the water, away from my grip. I smirk at him, as I announce "That's ten points for Hufflepuff! Inflation's hit Hogwarts hard, Apollo!" I start dancing in the water.

Unknowing to me, there is a huge wave appearing behind the both of us. High tide must be approaching us. Apollo ducks down, "Jump on my back, Athena." I see worry in his eyes, leading me to do as he says; I jump onto his back, and he delivers us back to the shore via piggy-back ride. Whilst doing so, he starts spinning us around, myself laughing the entire time.

I look down at his face, in which houses a smile. Something about Apollo's smile warms my heart. I guess that since his smiles are so genuine, I can hear his happiness whilst he smiles.

Now, don't forget, I can hear emotions and the discord of emotions in others; Just one way that I use analytical psychology. Even though we're not in court, nor are we investigating a crime scene, it doesn't mean I can't check in and hear what others' hearts are saying.

For example, in the office a couple days ago, I could hear the discord in Apollo's heart whilst the Boss was explaining the drive to Big Sur; his heart was screaming out in sadness. Without even deciphering it, I already knew the cause of his emotional distress: Clay.

Clay was Apollo's best friend, someone he confided in his parental loss in (something whom both boys shared), the person whom helped Apollo become the incredible attorney he is today. Anything that reminded him of his best friend, he wanted nothing to do with.

But, once asking me to carpool with him, the discord of sadness decreased, and happiness appeared: a trait I missed hearing from my senior co-worker. I guess that is why his happiness feels so genuine.

* * *

"Hey," Apollo whispers, "wanna sit for a little bit, maybe finish our pizza?" He lets me down from his back. "Sure," I whisper back, "as long as we're far away from those waves, I'm down."

We walk back to our beach chairs and umbrella, where Phoenix and Maya are sunbathing. "Ah, so you're going for that tan-line **and** cut-off line look, huh Mr. Wright?" Apollo laughs whilst jesting with the Boss. I can't help myself but to giggle along with him. "Ha, you won't be laughing in 10 years when this will be you, huh Apollo?" I see my Boss smirk, giving his girlfriend a knuckle-touch. Jesus Christ, Mr. Wright, are we still in the early 2000's when those were cool?

We sit down, next to Trucy, whom is still drying off from my brilliant plan from earlier. "Hey guys! I see you got even with each other, huh?" She jests, whilst laughing. "Yeah, you could say that," Apollo looks over at me, smirking. I stick my tongue out at him, whilst taking my seat. Apollo found his seat, placing it right next to mine. I cover myself with a towel, whilst taking a slice of pizza from the box.

"So, Trucy, how was that attempt at the SATs?" Apollo asks, whilst taking a sip from his second Corona bottle of the day. "I got a 1260! This means hopefully, I can get accepted at USC. All I have left is to finish their essay, and I can turn in my application." A 1260 must be impressive; living in England, we didn't have the SAT tests, rather just an application and transcripts. Apollo would know better than I about the SAT tests, considering he told the Boss he took them three times, the highest score being a 1620. "That's great, Trucy," I exclaim, "What major do you plan on choosing?" I see her face drop whilst asking her. "Well, I'm not too sure yet, I plan on becoming a famous magician, but a degree in something else could be a great fallback plan. I'm thinking about journalism or communications, but I'm not too sure yet." I put my arm over Trucy's shoulder, "It's alright if you don't know what you want to do yet. It's great you have a main plan, and a backup plan would be also amazing to have. You're gonna go places, girl. I can promise you that." Trucy comes in for a hug.

"Hey, I want in on this hug!" Apollo shouts, running over to us and squeezing the life out of me. He notices that I can barely breathe, and he lightens up his grasp. "Err, sorry guys," as he takes another sip of his beer.

I grab my Seagrams bottle, and drink from it. I also happen to be on my second bottle, but I'm taking smaller sips, and eating along with it. I don't plan on being drunk yet again. The feeling I felt this morning was something I do not plan on ever feeling again.

But, to be honest, it was worth it to me. I had a lot of fun yesterday, especially with Apollo.

* * *

A couple hours go by. Pearl is asleep under the umbrella, Trucy, the Boss, and Maya went on a walk to find seashells to bring back to Los Angeles with us. Apollo and I are left sitting under the umbrella, fully awake, and fully aware of everything going on. We both stopped after having two drinks each, selecting water as our beverage for the rest of the day. As we pass around a bag of snackoos to share, we play the 20 questions game again. I swear, this boy just loves this game.

"Alright, my turn." Apollo states, before shoving a handful of snackoos into his mouth. Once swallowing, he asks his question, "So, seriously, what is up with you and Simon? Is something happening, did something happen? Literally nobody can figure it out at the office." I laugh hysterically, "I, and Simon? Dating? No, no way in hell." I take a handful of snackoos and I eat a couple pieces at a time, "Simon's the equivalent of a big brother to me, wanting to protect me like I'm still a child. He's a great friend, but that's all he'll ever be to me."

I eat more of the snackoos; have I mentioned these are delicious? "Besides, I never told you this, but I'm very convinced he had a crush on my mother." Apollo's face turned a bit sour when I said that, "Simon Blackquill, had a thing for your mom? That's a bit, um, awkward." He shivers at the thought. "Yeah, I thought the same thing when I came to the revelation. However, it makes me feel better that he wouldn't think of myself in such a light." I smile whilst saying so.

"My turn, Polly." I throw the bag of snackoos back to Apollo. "How did you tell Juniper that you didn't like her? I know she was heartbroken when you told her, but what exactly did you tell her?" His face drops a little bit whilst I bring up this conversation, as I hear a bit of discord in his heart: sadness. "Well, I told her the truth: that I'm flattered that she finds me so likable, however, I did not reciprocate the feelings. She's a sweet girl Athena, don't get me wrong, but I just, didn't want to pursue a relationship with her; a friendship with Juniper is more than enough. She cried in front of me, and it was tough to console her, but she eventually understood."

His face looks up, for the first time since speaking about breaking Junie's heart, "Besides, look where she is now. She's found somebody whom reciprocates her feelings." I smile at the thought of her happiness, "You're right, and Hugh is a very nice guy; those two go hand-in-hand with each other."

"My last turn? I have a good question for you Athena…" Apollo attempts to speak, but was cut off by the Boss. "Well, seeing as Pearls is asleep, and our feet hurt from walking on the hot sand, I think it's time to pack up and go back." Maya, holding an entire bucket full of shells, inputs, "We drove past a noodle shop that Trucy wanted to try out, would that be a good choice for dinner?" Apollo and I look at each other, nodding our heads. "Alright great! We'll pack up and meet you at the house then?" Maya finishes, beginning to grab hers and the Boss's towels. "Sounds good! We'll meet you there," Apollo concludes the conversation.

As the rest of the Wright Anything Agency packed up and left the beach, Apollo and I took one last walk down to the beach for the day, sitting near the shoreline. "So, what was that last question you had?" I ask my co-worker, curious as to what he is going to pester me about now. "Oh, right, I got cut off," he replies. "A stupid question, but a good one: Do you think Mr. Wright noticed how red he got from sunbathing? I mean, didn't you see him? He was as burnt as a lobster!"

I giggle into my hand over the thought. I was assuming Apollo's question to be more serious than this, but hey, this is Apollo Justice we're talking about; this boy hasn't been serious this entire trip. I guess he's allowing his true personality shine through. "Yeah, he's gonna be hurting in the morning. Did he not put on any sunscreen?," I respond. "Our boss is a mess…he forgets his bathing suit, buys one that's too small, and then gets burnt to a crisp," he states, attempting to fix his hair. I, jokingly, respond, "Well hey, at least it wasn't me this time," whilst taking a sip of my water.

 _"_ _Well, I'm glad. It looks like you have a bit of a tan, Ms. Cykes. It looks good on you,"_ Apollo responds.

My widget (which I placed back on my neck whilst sitting down, mind you) vibrates, alerting me of an unexpected emotion. I hear the discord in Apollo's heart as well: Surprise. However, what is this unexpected emotion?

I decide to take a chance on the moment, "Well, it looks like you have a nice tan going on as well, Mr. Justice." I wink at him to freak him out. "Oh, what? Someone wants a piece of this?" He jokingly smirks at me, whilst rubbing his hands over his **extremely** well-build body. I push him, lovingly, chuckling, "In your dreams, Justice." I roll my eyes, standing up. "Wanna go back to the house and freshen up for dinner?" I ask Apollo. He stands up, smiling, "Sure! Let's pack up the chairs and the umbrella."

As we walk back to where we set up for the day, I open widget up, to figure out that unexpected emotion. As I open it, I see mostly yellow, standing for surprise. But, there it was, staring myself down whilst blinking: Happiness. Apollo Justice, whilst stating that 'I look good,' is…happy? What does this mean?

Did, did saying such cause him happiness, or was he happy in general? I don't know what to say, I don't know what to do.

"Hey Mouthface, we don't got all day, you know?" I hear over my shoulder. I put Widget away, and focus on the task at hand. Who knows, maybe I can figure this out later.

* * *

Packed up, Apollo and I are leaving the beach for the Condo. I smell of sea salt, sunscreen, and a light hint of alcohol. Apollo? He smells the same way, except the scent of beer is a bit stronger. I'm sitting in the passenger seat, as I did this morning, with Apollo steering the helm of the car. Silence lingers throughout the CR-V, as I look out the window.

I'm still a bit confused as to the information Widget provided me earlier, however, I'm gonna try and let it go for now.

Who knows what was going through Apollo's mind; I may be able to read emotions, however, I'm not a mind reader. Whatever was going through his thoughts, it must have made him happy. Whether it be our conversation, the beach, or, _possibly_ myself, his thoughts are his own; I will not intrude on such.

The silence is starting to kill me, the unknown to Apollo's thoughts are sinking it's way into my mind, and driving me crazy. I need a bit of an escape.

"Hey Polly? Can we play some music please?" I ask, giving him "puppy-dog eyes." I watch as he rolls his eyes, "Sure, go ahead and choose something off of my phone," he replies, eyes half on the road, half on I. I lift Apollo's phone, plug it into the AUX cord, and click on the music app. Scrolling down, I'm not too entirely impressed. A lot of music from 2000's rock bands that I wasn't too fond of, or songs I did not desire to hear. However, I found a favorite of mine within the list, and click it.

Apollo hears the intro, and smiles. "Ah, so you know this album too, I figure?" As I nod my head, I sing along:

 _"_ _So you're still thinking of me, just like I know you should. I can not give you everything, you know I wish I could."_

I look over at my senior co-worker, smiling. "I wouldn't think you were a fan of Khalid, Apollo." He nods his head, giving off that ol' _"What are you talking about, Athena?"_ face, like usual. "Er, It's not usually my type of music, but I relate. I'm young, dumb, and broke, just not a high school kid." I giggle, "Yeah, your version would be called _'Young, dumb, broke defense attorney.'_ " He laughs, causing me to smile. "Good one, Athena."

 _"_ _What's fun about commitment, when we have our life to live? Yeah, we're just young dumb and broke, but we still got love to give."_

I dance in my seat, waving my hands in the air, as I sing along. I look over at Apollo, whom is smirking.

He has an idea, I wonder what it is.

I heard a noise above me. Looking up, I see Apollo opening his sunroof. Wait, he has a sunroof? "Now the whole world can know Athena Cykes: Courtroom Révolutionairre is dancing," he jests. "You're such an ass, Craphole. But, where would I be without you?" Apollo smirks, "Lost, that's where you'd be without me."

* * *

The rest of our night is calming. We eat at the noodle restaurant, I enjoying my Chicken Udon, and getting a small little chocolate dessert whilst there. Once arriving back at the condo after dinner, Trucy and Pearl run up to their rooms to get ready for bed. The Boss and Maya unload the dishes from the dishwasher before making their way upstairs.

Unfortunately, we overhear the Boss screaming in pain from his sunburn the entire night.

I see Apollo grabbing his bed stuff, and heading for the door. "Where are you going?" I ask, confused. "You keep the bed, I'm sleeping downstairs the rest of the trip."

This kind of upsets me. As awkward as it is to share a bed with my senior co-worker, I wouldn't want him to sleep on a couch every night. He deserves a bed, and he's going to get one.

Whilst he walks through the doorway, I grab his arm. "Look, Apollo, you don't have to sleep down there. I don't want you to." I look right into his eyes whilst saying so. "I know we've been placed in this awkward situation, but, if anyone knows how to get through something such as this, it's us, the Wright Anything Agency."

"Are you suggesting, that we try sharing a bed again?" Apollo inquires of me. I, without any words to say, look into his eyes and nod. He sits down on the bed, I deciding to sit next to him, "Well, we _were_ drunk last night, and didn't get a clear view as to how to manage through this," he replies, scratching his head. "I'm down to, if you are."

"I am," I respond. "And, if this doesn't work, either of us could sleep downstairs as of tomorrow. Deal?" I state, putting my hand out to my co-worker. "Deal," he responds, shaking my hand.

Once Apollo puts his pillow and blanket back onto the bed, we separately get ready for bed: I changing in the bathroom, he changing in the bedroom. Tonight, I choose a pair of plaid pajama shorts, with a red tank top, the word "PINK" written across it. It's not hard to imagine where I purchased my pajamas from. Once I am dressed, I walk back into the bedroom. Apollo is already on the bed, placing his phone on the side table next to him. I slide in on the other side, facing the wall, as Apollo faces the window.

I feel Apollo turn around, wanting to talk, therefore, I turn around. "Do you think we can do this sober, Athena?" he asks. "Look Apollo, we've been through worse things before, what's sharing a bed gonna do? Besides, if it doesn't, we'll yell at the Boss in the morning." Apollo laughs, "Alright, that'll be fun to do if need be. Goodnight, Athena." "Goodnight," we say, as we turn around, our backs facing each other's.

I know what you're thinking, why on Earth are we trying this again, if we woke up feeling awkward this morning? I have my reasons. But, it's worth a shot. I slowly drift of to sleep, replaying a certain moment of my day.

" _It looks good on you."_


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of chapters lately. A lot has happened lately concerning my work, leaving me uninspired to write. However, I'm pushing through it and writing! So, before reading this chapter, I will let you know that I am bumping the rating of this fanfic to M._** ** _Mature content is ahead in this chapter._** ** _Anyway, please enjoy!_**

 ** _~ Emily_**

Chapter 7

July 24, 2017

9:32 AM PST

Fey-Wright Rental Condo

 _"_ _APOLLO!" I hear moaning out of the mouth of my junior co-worker. I don't get the chance to use my chords of steal before her lips crash down onto mine, my hands gripping on her bare ass. Her and I, naked as fuck, giving into our temptations, has my mind completely blown. I move one hand onto her breast, gently squeezing, as I pepper hard kisses down her neck._

 _"_ _A…po…llo…t…touch me…" I hear her between moans, looking directly into my eyes. I can see from the lust in her eyes exactly what she wants. Crashing my lips back onto hers, I place one hand on the back of head, laying her down. I pepper kisses down her entire abdomen, until meeting her warm, wet core._

 _I take one digit, and enter her, feeling her back arch. She moans, as I pump my digit in and out of her wetness. She grabs my other hand, and places it on her breast. I gently squeeze, adding a second digit, pumping faster. Her moans get louder, and faster, as I please her instinctual needs. "A…APOLLO!" she screams, as I enter a third digit into her core._

 _As she is on the verge of climaxing, I pull my fingers out, and I place my lips onto hers, whispering while smirking, "Athena…I wanna come with you."_

 _As I say so, she pushes me down on the bed, her hands trailing down my chest, leading to my member. She takes me into her hands, pumping her soft hands up and down. I, using my chords of steel, moan loudly "A…the…," cut off by my co-worker slipping her tongue into my mouth. She continues to jerk me, while our tongues dance together. I never thought something could feel so fucking stupefying as Athena jerking me off; it's an unearthly feeling, glorious if you will. God only knows what it will feel like entering her. I feel myself on the verge of coming in that very moment, however, I notice the lust in her eyes; she's not even close to being done with me yet. "Oh, Apollo…if you think this is good, wait until…" I hear her say, placing her head near my erection. It doesn't take a man with a law degree to know that she wants to give me head; her mouth closing in on my dick, I tremble in pleasure. I can't stop repeating her name, over and over again: "Athena…Athena…" I hear a ringing in the background, repeatedly, muting her and I…_

* * *

My alarm goes off, myself waking up automatically. I roll my head back, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about what just happened…

…WHAT THE FUCK?! I sit up, looking around our bedroom. Nothing looks out of the ordinary, albeit Athena not being here.

It was only a dream, but what the actual fuck? I, Apollo Justice, having a sex dream about my co-worker? No way in hell is this okay. No way, no way, NO WAY.

I need some air, or a cold shower, or something. I need to get my mind **far** away from whatever that dream was. I rip the blanket off of my body, allowing myself to get up, but something is stopping me.

I look down, only to see the aftermath of my dream, staring me straight in my face.

FUCK. WHY AM I HARD?

Alright Apollo, you have two options here: A cold shower, or riding this out on your own.

I'm gonna go with a cold shower; no way in **hell** am I gonna fix this problem with my own hands, after a sex dream about Athena.

I muster the ability to get out of bed, I cross my legs in a very uncomfortable fashion, and grab clothes to shower. Then, I scuttle into the bathroom.

I need to think of a plan to avoid Athena today, at all costs. I can't confront her today, especially after, well, whatever the hell that was. I don't even like Athena in the romantic sense, let alone a sexual one.

 ** _-Thud-_**

My bracelet reacts, but to what? No way it could react to the last statement…

…right?

I take my bracelet off, as I undress to take a shower. Forget that reaction, I know how I feel, and it's the truth.

* * *

As I dress myself, I can't help but to think about the reaction my bracelet had. Was I lying to myself? Do I, Apollo Justice, have fee…

…No, I'm not even going to finish that sentence.

I decide to go clear my mind, rid of these questions I don't even need to ask myself. And what better way to clear my mind than for a jog.

Sure, I don't exercise that often, but I started jogging after Clay's funeral. It tends to calm myself down, and gets my mind off of heavy things. I lace up my sneakers, and I make my way downstairs.

Once I reach the mid-staircase platform, I find myself staring at the person whom I'm trying to avoid: Athena, whose back is towards me, doing yoga poses, in the living room. Her red hair, tied in some sort of braid, cladding a pink tank top and a pair of yoga pants, hugging every curve of her damn body.

What am I doing? I'm trying to avoid her, not stare her down like a creep.

As I see her about to turn around, I hide myself behind a pilar at the end of the staircase. I wait there until she turns back around again, and there, I make a run for the front door.

But, alas, I am caught about to touch the door handle.

"Polly! Where are you going?" I hear from a certain seventeen year-old, daughter of my boss. God dammit, Trucy. For once, could you sleep in?

I see Athena turn around, confused to see me about the leave the house. She's making eye contact with me, something I can't stop myself from returning back to her. I look away, down at the floor, and then back at Trucy. "I…" I look back over at Athena, and then I look back at Trucy, "…I'm going for a jog. No reason to worry, just…got a lot on my mind, is all."

"But Polly, won't you be all alone? Do you want us to come with you? We don't want you be-" Trucy continuously asks me, until she's unexpectedly cut off. "Trucy…he'll be fine. He needs some alone time." Athena's voice hits me like an arrow, although said arrow should have been aimed at Trucy.

She knows something's up with me, God dammit. Fortunately, for me, she can only read emotions, not dreams. If she could read our dreams, we'd all be royally **fucked**. Especially Mr. Wright.

"I'll be back." I say, while closing the front door to the condo. I place my headphones in my ears, and I proceed to jog. Blasting some Imagine Dragons, I ignore all of my outside problems.

I start to think about my plans for the day. I remember Mr. Wright saying something about driving into town, and possibly going shopping or to the beach there. I wouldn't mind that, especially if I can drive us both there. Having Athena there with me, driving down the coast, would be fucking amazing.

Again, what am I saying? I can't keep thinking about her.

Regardless, it will be fun going into town. I love our condo, don't get me wrong, but it **would** be nice to get away from there for a little bit.

As I jog, I see a ton of cars driving by. There aren't any sidewalks here in Big Sur; I find myself relying on the bike lanes of the road to jog. Also, it doesn't help that Mr. Wright booked us a condo on a main highway.

I hear a car drive by; a bunch of teenagers screaming out the window, "Dab on them haters." Jesus fucking Christ, if I hear that phrase again.

One day in the office, Trucy screams that out to Athena and I, during the middle of our last case. Athena and I turn our shoulders, giving her a "Wut?" face. Sure, we might be mature adults, but it doesn't mean she and I have no knowledge of internet memes. Trucy attempts to dab, and Athena and I start bursting out laughing. Neither her nor I have seen such a hilarious thing as Trucy Wright dab.

Oh God, here I am, thinking about Athena again. It's like…

…like I can't get her out of my freaking brain. She appears in every single thought I have.

This doesn't happen to me. I don't have one single person appearing in every thought I have.

What's happening to me?! Am I going insane?! Do I, Apollo Justice, need psychiatric help?!

 ** _-Thud-_**

I feel my bracelet react, however, I'm still having a panic attack. I need to figure this out, and figure this out now.

I find myself in my "perceive" state:

" _Why am I freaking out?"_

 ** _You're confused._**

 ** _"_** _Why am I confused?"_

 ** _Athena Cykes._**

 ** _"_** _What about Athena is confusing me?"_

 ** _She is appearing in my thoughts._**

 ** _"_** _Why is she appearing in my thoughts?"_

 ** _Because you had a dream about her._**

 ** _"_** _Why did I have a dream about her?"_

 ** _Because you have feelings for Athena._**

I leave my "perceive" state once I come to the last realization. No…no way…I can't be seriously…

Just because I enjoy being her friend, enjoy spending time with her, and catch myself staring at her maybe twice a day due to her looks, doesn't mean I have feelings for her…

…right?

Honestly, I can't continue jogging. I need to go back to the condo, lock myself in our room, and truly think. However, that will only make me feel worse, and would isolate me from the rest of the group, including the one person who will make me feel terrible for doing so. I need to go back, I need to face my fears.

Athena doesn't scare me, quite the opposite, in fact. I need to talk to her, to see her, to determine if I, Apollo, in fact have **true** feelings for her. Plus, I owe her an explanation for why I ran off this morning.

I throw my headphones on, and swap directions, towards the condo.

Just, please God, let Mr. Wright not be in those small as fuck swim trunks again.

* * *

I arrive at the condo, sweaty as all hell. I ran here; I didn't jog, I full-blown **ran** back here. I want to get out of my head fast as I can.

Interesting thing is, I don't see Mr. Wright's Buick in the driveway.

They must have gone off somewhere.

I open the door to the condo, to see the emptiness of it all. Shit, did Athena go with them? I sure as hell hope not.

"Hello? Anybody home?" I yell, hoping for a response.

I hear a mumble from upstairs. Thank god, somebody's here.

"Athena?" I ask, while walking up the stairs. I hear spitting noises from the bathroom, "I'm in here!" I hear. Oh good, she's still here. I can talk to her.

I walk into our bedroom, "Can we talk? Nothing bad, just wanted to explain my actions from earlier…" I state.

She walks into our room, clad in some kind of dress that really isn't a dress, but shorts? I don't know, I know nothing about women's fashion. She looks perfect in it, regardless.

"Sure…I was wondering about that. Is everything okay?" She asks, sitting down next to me.

"Um…no, not really. I, uh…" I can't tell her the truth. I'm not there yet to tell her _"I had a sex dream about you, although I don't think I like you like that"_ , that would ultimately ruin our friendship, and partnership.

"…I had a bad dream…about Clay." Probably not the best can of worms to open right now, but it's better than telling her I dreamed about us fucking.

"Oh Apollo…" she wraps her arm around me. "It's okay, I completely understand." She rests her head on my shoulder, like you see in those corny teen girl-demographic TV shows. "I know you've been missing him lately, and it's alright to. Grieving takes time, and it will hit you at the most unexpected times. Trust me, I know…"

She literally knows the right things to say. Even though I'm not truly grieving over Clay at the moment, I would be lying if I said I don't miss him a lot.

And she's absolutely right; of all people to know about grieving, it would be Athena Cykes. I mean, she was convinced that she murdered her own mother, of course she knows about grief.

"Thanks Athena, I appreciate it." I give her a hug. She feels so warm up against my body, it warms my body doing so. Not in any sexual way or anything, but…a fuzzy feeling inside.

Do I…no. No way.

"So, Mr. Justice, feeling well enough to take a drive up to Carmel? It's an hour drive, just a head's up." she gives me those wide-eyes to convince me. Not like I wasn't willing to in the first place.

"Sure! Just, lemme get changed first? Besides, what are we gonna do up there anyway?" I reach for a change of clothes in my set of drawers.

"There's a ton of shopping up there, Boss said. Plus, another beach if you'd want to go there instead." She lays back on the bed.

"I think shopping's fine. We did the beach yesterday, I think a nice break is needed." I tell her. "Gimme a few, and we'll be off, alright?"

"Sure, whatever you say Apollo."

* * *

After ten minutes, we're off and running to Carmel. Since Big Sur is basically a state park, driving around to get back to the main road will be annoying. However, since I have Athena with it, I don't think it will be so bad.

Five minutes later, I notice she fell asleep in the car. Of course. I guess that's what happens when you wake up early to do yoga every day on your vacation.

I decide to play some rock music on the way there, considering I'm driving, and Athena can't object to it.

I'm not gonna lie, I keep wondering what she dreams about when she falls asleep in the passenger seat. I will never know, and it kills me. Is she dreaming about the past with her mother? Court cases we've been apart of? About…me?

Stop it, Apollo. You don't like her.

…but that doesn't stop me from wondering if she likes me.

God, my feelings are super confusing. Does she love me? Does she think we could be together, and neither of us would leave? (hm, that would make good song lyrics).

Why do I care, though? I don't like her, why does it matter so much to me…

"Apollo?" I hear, as she wakes up. "Are we there yet?"

"A few more minutes, and we'll be in Carmel. Tired, sleepyhead?" I jest with her.

"Yeah, I was still tired this morning when I woke up. Caught myself falling asleep during my daily stretches. I know I'm so used to waking up so early, but I'm just extra tired today."

"I feel you, I didn't wanna get out of bed this morning." That's such a lie, Apollo. You ran out of bed so Athena would have zero chances of seeing your feelings through your pants.

"Yeah, same…" she replies.

The silence kicks in for a few minutes. Athena was looking out the window, while I drove, thinking of something to talk to her about.

"Where shall we go once we arrive?" I ask her.

"Doesn't matter to me. Although, I was hoping to find some small shops to go to. We have everything in L.A., why not look into local shops?"

"Great idea, tiger." I smirk at her, as she smiles back at me. "Well, welcome to Carmel! Ready to find some of these shops?"

"Sure, dork. Let's go!" she states, with the most excitement in her voice.

As confused as I am about my feelings, there is one thing that is for sure: Athena's smile and innocence are my favorite things about her. I wouldn't replace that for anything in the entire world. I'm grateful for everything she is.

* * *

Shit. Maybe I DO like her.


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N: Don't hate me. I know I haven't updated this fic in forever. I'm sorry, I mean it. Did you see the Beyonce I pulled last time with the chapter out of nowhere? Yeah, that's probably gonna continue happening whilst writing. With my business life being hectic, updates will be inconsistent._**

 ** _Regardless…Enjoy! ~ Emily_**

 ** _(PS: This fanfiction's nickname is: "How Many References to Phoenix and Maya Having Sex Can Emily Make?")_**

Chapter 8

July 24, 2017

2:56 PM PST

Carmel Plaza

Carmel is such a quaint beach town. The shopping, food, and wine (I just wish I was legal so I could try some), it's what I always pictured as a beach town on the west coast. Don't get me wrong, Big Sur is a nice town, but it's a bit too small for my liking. I'm not used to such small, beach towns: as a resident of L.A., and a former resident of the London Metro area, I'm not too familiar.

My host family in England were not beach-goers, and since my mother worked at the Space Center, we didn't go really anywhere during my childhood. My knowledge of the beach is what I have seen in movies. Considering the bulk of the movies I've watched are romantic movies, I have so many unrealistic expectations to happen. Finding your dream man while playing in the ocean, he takes you into his arms and kisses you right by the water, etc. etc..

However, these stories tend to happen away from these characters' work life, and my vacation involves my entire work life. Don't get me wrong, I'm having so much fun so far on this vacation, but no romantic movie I've watched involving being near the beach consists of being around your boss.

Though, I have one thing that those movies don't have: Apollo.

I'm not gonna lie, my feelings about Apollo are completely muddled at the moment. He's my friend and senior co-worker, two things that I hope never change. But, I feel a shift. I'm not sure if it's myself or him, but I can sense…something. I, myself, don't even know what to think or feel. I know I can sense his happiness, genuine happiness, but I can't seem to figure out why.

This morning, however, was a different story. Something was strange. Apollo told me that he had a nightmare about Clay, but there was no discord in his heart about it. Typically, involving Clay, he's very sad. Which makes sense, since his best friend's gone. But, I didn't hear any sadness out of him, in which why I am confused. If he's sad about Clay, why was there no sadness?

I don't really want to look too much into this, but I can't help myself. I truly care for his well-being, and I fear that I did something to cause this.

But, why are my feelings muddled? Is…is there something there?

No, it can't be. And even if there is, it's not like the feeling would be reciprocated.

I look out the window, to rid myself of this ridiculous claim coming from my cranium. We're parked, but neither of us have left Apollo's CR-V yet. Apollo is jamming out to the radio, and it takes me a second to comprehend what's going on.

"Having fun there, Polly?" I ask. Upon hearing my voice, I notice how startled he is to hear my voice after maybe an hour of silence in the car.

"My my, she speaks at last. And to answer your question, yes, I am having fun. I get the greatest pleasure from rocking out to 2000s Rock." he chuckles, knowing he set himself up for a chewing out.

I start bursting out laughing. "Yeah, you set yourself up for a 'That's what she said,' you dork. Are we ready to go? Unless, you WANT to spend the entire time sitting in a damn parking lot on a hot, summer's day."

"Fuck off, Athena. Let's go then." He retorts, taking the key out of the car and opening the driver side door. I attempt to open the passenger side door, but I'm stopped by Apollo. "Hey, let me get it," he states, closing my door and opening it again. I can't help but blush. Apollo, the guy I have mixed feelings about, just opened the car door for me. Like a gentleman would…

…what on Earth?

"Thank you!" I respond, trying to hide the growing smile appearing on my face. I change the subject, "Where to first? I'm pretty sure I saw a store when we were driving in I wouldn't mind checking out."

"Then, we'll go there. I have no preferences." He replies. "As long as I'm not driving you around anymore, I'm good."

I playfully shove him. "Whatever, you ass."

* * *

We found ourselves in Anthropologie: a store for the most bohemian-chic of women. I've been drawn to this store before, but have only gone for their shoes and candles. I don't consider my style anywhere near "boho," but it was worth to look into. Besides, it would give me an excuse to find some beach-esque clothing for the rest of our vacation, and maybe for returning back home.

Whilst browsing the store, I find Apollo following me. From the look of his face, I could tell he wasn't enjoying this store. Not only was this a store for women (er, those with more feminine tastes. Can't assume in 2017), but the music they were playing over the speakers wasn't generally what Apollo, nor I, would find ourselves listening to in a store.

Having a few items in hand, I ask Apollo if he's alright if I go to the fitting room to try on my choices. He shakes his head back and forth, _'not like he has a choice,'_ I state in my head.

I'm not one to usually ask others for their opinions of outfits, as I generally have a 'basic white girl' sense of style and I typically steer clear of trends and be more classy, but something inside of me **_wants_** to show Apollo what I'm trying on. I guess half of it is seeing if I actually do have feelings for him, and the other half being testing to see what he does when I try these clothes on that aren't typically considered an "Athena outfit."

I try on first a top. It's white, with black spots, and very poofy sleeves. The tag calls it a "Francoise Blouse," which is incorrectly spelled (it should be "Françoise"). It's very much out of my comfort zone to wear something like this, but I figured I'd try it for the heck of it. I walk out of the dressing room, and I directly ask Apollo, "What do you think? Too much?" He's seated, checking his phone when he looks up at me and smirks like he's trying to hide a laugh.

"Well, it looks like you're trying to put Cruella de Ville out of business." I had to stop cackling myself. He was right; it looked like I was coming straight out of the 101 Dalmatians movie. Er, the live-action one with Glenn Close. "It's not you, Tiger. So, I say no."

"You're right, it's not me. Oh well, onto the next one!" I state, going directly back into the fitting room.

The next thing I try on is this really cute denim top. It's sleeveless, with buttons going down the center. Again, it's something I would not necessarily find myself wearing, but I would be willing to give it a try.

"This one?" I state, walking out of the fitting room. Apollo's eyes shoot right up at me, and he smiles. "That's more like you, Mouthface."

I laugh. "Thanks, Craphole. One more, and I'm good." I respond, walking back into the fitting room.

The last one, which I was saving for last for a reason, is this green skater-type dress. It's something that I **do** consider in my style. It's a bit more classic than my other choices, but something I needed to try on for Apollo.

I walk out of the fitting room, with an air of confidence. This dress makes me feel good about myself, I'm just hoping Apollo's response would be positive.

"So?" I state, hands at my side, swaying back and forth. The dress may be on the shorter side, but it's not like he could see up the skirt of the dress. Therefore, swaying and twirling lightly would not cause me to flash my senior co-worker.

His eyes shot up again, but this time, I could tell he was hiding how he felt. I took Widget off to try these clothes on, but it doesn't take someone with a degree in Analytical Psychology to figure out that his response to what I'm wearing. His pupils widened, a bit more blush appeared on his cheeks, and his mouth formed an "O."

"Um…" he blurted out. It's as though he could not speak. "Wha- What do you think about it?" he asks. "I love it! It's very dainty and feels good on me and…should I get it?"

You could tell from his eyes, that he was milking in the moment of me wearing this. I know that his response would be one, big, giant "yes," but instead, he says "Only if **you** want it, Thena."

"Alright, I'll get it! I'm all done here." I state, walking back into the fitting room.

* * *

10 minutes, and $375 later, we leave the store. Apollo, shaking his head, can't believe I spent so much in one store. However, that face he made trying on that one dress, was worth every penny.

We make our way through other stores in the Plaza as well. Apollo picks up a couple of button downs and shorts at the Vineyard Vines store, and we both take a look at shoes in the Cole Haan store. Nothing else really catches our eye in the shopping plaza.

"Hey, Athena? I saw a coffee place a ways back, wanna go in?" he asks. "Sure, I've been wanting coffee since we got here!" I respond as we turn around to walk back.

The Carmel Coffee & Cocoa Bar is the name of the establishment. It's a cute little coffeehouse: the smell of dark roasts and matcha roaming the entire building. I felt at home here; it brings me back to London, the quaint coffeehouses they had there, and the many-a-days spent there, working on homework whilst sipping on a hot latte.

I order a chai latte, with a pastry on the side to hold me over until dinner. Apollo orders an iced macchiato, and a bag of kettle chips to hold him over. Once we receive our orders, we somehow find a seat inside, tucked in the corner of the bustling shop.

"It sure is busy in here. Must be that good, huh?" he chuckles. He takes a sip of his drink, as do I. The warmth of the latte fills my entire body, from the hair on my head to the tips of my toenails.

"So, I've **got** to know something, dork." Apollo blurts out, whilst taking a handful of chips and placing them in his mouth. "Oh, and what might that be?" I retort. "How on Earth did you find this minuscule law office of ours to apply to when you could have worked anywhere else in the world?"

It's a question I've been waiting to answer from, literally anybody, since I left London. Neither Apollo nor Trucy, nor really anybody I was acquainted with in London ever asked why I was leaving to work for such a small office. It's nice that Apollo actually asks, and wants to take the time to hear why.

"Well, if you **must** know, Apollo, Boss contacted me first. I placed my application everywhere you could think of: in London, New York, Chicago, really any large or small law firm you could think of. However, nobody wanted to take a shot on an 18-year-old. They always told me _'You're way too young, no way you could have passed the BAR exam this early.'_ I was about to give up and return home when I received a call from Mr. Wright. He was interested in my line of expertise and was willing to give me a shot. A week after our phone conversation, he put me on a plane to L.A., and I arrived the same day I- well, you know…flipped a cop and they landed on you? Still, super sorry for that!"

He laughs. "Yeah, I still have the bruises from that, by the way." Our eyes meet. I notice his irises are of a dark brown, yet, I see a glimmer of gold in them. A smile arises on his face, as he shakes his head and looks away. I look down as well. We couldn't have had eyes on each other for more than 15 seconds, but it felt longer. There was a longing, desire to tell me something in his eyes, but what?

"You turn, Thena. Ask me anything."

He takes me back with this statement. I could literally ask Apollo Justice anything. **Anything.** The first thing that popped into my head was "Do you have feelings for anybody?," but I was not going to ask him that. It wasn't my place to ask, nor was I prepared to hear whatever answer he had for the query. So instead, I went for a more…embarrassing question.

"Okay, Mr. 'I was about to be a frat boy,' Am I safe to say that you were the ladies man in college? How much action did a young Apollo get, huh?"

His. Face. **Dropped.**

You could see that he was completely unprepared to answer the question at hand. "Well…you see…" he starts to respond. "Athena, you're one my closest friends. I know I can tell you anything. Just…please don't laugh. I…" he begins.

"I promise I won't," I reassure him.

"Okay…Athena, I…I'm the worst with women. Clay was always the 'ladies man,' as you put it. I, on the other hand? I was too shy. I'd kill conversations the moment they would start. Clay would end up butting in and taking over for me. I'm…I'm just not good. And to answer your second question…the most I've ever done with a girl was a Spin the Bottle game…" he stops himself. His face speaks all of the words he can't say; his eyes face the floor. Widget has turned the color blue.

"Apollo…you're not ashamed of that…are you?" I question him. I already know the answer, but I wanted to hear it from him.

To be honest, Apollo has nothing to be ashamed of, really.

"Athena, I'm a 23-year-old man who can't flirt with a woman to save my life. Do you realize how much of an embarrassment I am? I'm damn sure Clay was fed up with me in that regards, he had all of the confidence in the world with girls, and his wingman was socially awkward with them! I'm on the path of 'forever alone,' I already know it."

Hearing him speak so freely on the topic, even whilst embarrassed, warms my heart. He's putting his honesty out there for me of all people to see and hear. Does…does he really trust me this way?

"Apollo…you're not alone in feeling this way. Not all men have pick-up lines in their pockets, ready to use at their disposal, nor all men have the ability to flirt. You don't have to be Clay to find a woman to fall for you. Be yourself, you'll find someone who will love you the way you are. And you're not forever alone, there will be a girl out there who will want to spend the rest of their life with you, sometimes you just gotta wait."

I stare at him directly in his eyes, with a smile on my face. I'm not lying to him- girls love when a man is confident in themselves and in who they are. I know I like Apollo for who he is as a person.

A genuine smile appears on his face, a twinkle in his eyes also forms, "Thank you Thena. You know, I don't know where I'd be without you." I smirk with a witty remark, "Probably babysitting Trucy while Boss and Maya screw each other in his office." His face turns red, as he looks down, and then back at me. "You're probably right." He laughs.

We finish up our coffees and make our way out of the shop. However, there's one piece of business I needed to clear up before we left. Whilst opening the door, holding it for Apollo who forgot his keys on the table, I share a hard piece of reality with Apollo. "And, just to clear the air, the farthest I've ever gone with a guy is a sloppy drunken make-out in college. I have no room to judge."

I witness a smile appear on Apollo's face, as we walk out into the hustle and bustle of Carmel.

Once deciding that walking around the shopping center a second or third time would cause us boredom, we started walking around 7th Avenue. Sure, it seems very residential-looking, but it's a commercial-driven street. As we walked past a glass building, which happened to be a winery, Apollo stopped us. "Hang on a minute, I wanna stop in here." Of course, I am still only eighteen and therefore, cannot step foot within any liquor store, winery, state store, etc..

As Apollo heads inside, I take a seat and take in the scenery. This is a place I could see myself on a date in the future: a small, local place where I and my date could sip wine, discuss life, and the finer things. I've never been on a date, but to be honest, even a night in with take-out and movie sounds like a perfect date in my opinion.

I see Apollo rushing out of the winery, a bag in a toe. "Sorry Thena, I just…I thought that if you couldn't go inside with me, that maybe we could take them back to Big Sur to have?" He opened the brown bag to show me. "I got a red and a white for us to try if that's alright with you?"

Apollo just bought me wine. Apollo, my dorky senior co-worker whom I have mixed emotions for, bought us both wine? Is…is this a sign?

"That's perfect with me. Um…thanks you dork." I reply, unsure of what else to say without revealing the butterflies hitting my stomach. Nobody, and I mean **_nobody_** has ever done any of the things that Apollo has done for me. I'm in shock.

We keep walking down the avenue, discussing work-related business, when we realize the time and turn around to walk back to the car. A phone call from Boss earlier discussed meeting at an Italian restaurant in Carmel for dinner at about 5, and it was 4:53. We knew we were going to be late, but with the fun we were having, neither of us cared.

It took us about 7 minutes to return to Apollo's CR-V, and 8 minutes to arrive at the restaurant.

* * *

Looking out of the passenger side window, whilst the sun was setting over the ocean, was the prettiest sight I think I've witnessed so far on this trip. It's calming and fitting for the day that I've had.

Dinner was fine. Trucy and Pearls were discussing their day at the coast, collecting shells whilst Boss and Maya handled work-related business in the car (or as Apollo and I call it, codeword for fucking in the backseat of Boss's Buick). They went on for what seemed like hours, as we ate: I, an Eggplant Parmesan. Apollo, a Beef Bolognese. It was a nice meal but tainted by the childish discussion of the two girls. It sometimes bothers me that I, at eighteen years old, act more mature than these two, who are practically around the same age as me. I wish that Boss and Maya would allow these two to grow up and discover things on their own, like most our ages.

It's why Apollo and I get along so well, despite being 5 years apart. Albeit my childish nature with Apollo, I consider myself an older soul. Trucy and Maya are very much babied by their guardians, which is why I don't relate to them very much. Regardless…

As we find our way back to the condo, Apollo has some XM station playing, and a song that he and I both automatically start singing comes on:

 _"_ _I was left to my own devices. Many days fell away with nothing to show. And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love. Grey clouds roll over the hills, bringing darkness from above."_

"Ah, so Athena Cykes knows even more songs I know? Funny, since all you do is listen to Top 40 shit." He smirks at me. He knows that isn't true, but loves picking on my music taste, the same way I do to him.

"Hey, popular music is great. I can dance to it. Plus this WAS Top 40 music at one point." I smirk back at him.

He sighs, "you're right. One point, the Tigers." I pretend to cheer as he states the last line.

We continue to sing along, taking us on our 42-minute drive back to the condo.

 _"_ _Oh, where do we begin? The rubble or our sins? Oh, where do we begin? The rubble or our sins? But if you close your eyes does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?"_

Oh, I hope moments like this never change.

* * *

We arrive back at the condo and decide to settle in for the night. With my early wake this morning, and Apollo's tiresome driving back and forth today, we both found ourselves exhausted. The Boss and Maya were cuddled up on the couch, watching some movie they rented, whilst Trucy and Pearls fell asleep on the other couch.

I decided to shower, considering I smell like sunscreen and sweat from the walking we did in Carmel.

My mind starts to wander as I shower, mostly towards the actions of my senior co-worker from today. Opening the door for me, the way his eyes lit up when I appeared in the dress I tried on, his buying wine for me. I may be reading into this too much: he's my co-worker, but also one of my best friends.

He **could** be doing so from the kindness of his own heart. This could just be innocent gestures from a guy who only considers you as a friend, nothing more, nothing less.

 ** _OR_** this could be something more?

Could there possibly, **possibly** be something there? Could…could Apollo Justice actually have…feelings for me?

And could I, Athena, have…feelings for him?

I finish my shower, opting to air-dry my hair for the night, and placing it in a braid to sleep in. For pajamas, I chose a pair of blue ribbed shorts and a matching blue tank top, with a cute black bralette underneath. What can I say, I'm feeling a little bold tonight.

I exit the bathroom to see Apollo laying down in bed already, pajamas on, watching something on the TV that hasn't been used all trip. To my excitement, it's a show I have actually watched before, and one that Apollo has as well.

I lay in bed, watching along with my co-worker.

I know exactly which episode of this show this is: The Job. I've swooned over this episode every time it has aired on TV or has magically "come up" on my Netflix account. It's the same scene that sends electricity up and down my veins, and a warmth to my heart, when the couple you've been rooting for all series long (well, so far: this is season 3) finally get together. I look over at Apollo, as that exact scene appears on the screen. A warm smile creeps onto his face, and I look down, as I see his head turn.

"Athena? Do…do you think I'll find that one day?" he inquires. I look over at him, kind of jokingly, "Who? A Dwight? Absolutely!" I playfully push him. "You know I kid." I look down, with a heavy heart, then I look back at him, wholeheartedly. "Apollo, the right girl's out there for you. You'll know when you find her. And when that time comes, it will come naturally. You won't have to try to be somebody you're not, or force a smile or a pick-up line or anything. She'll fall for **you** , and the way **you** already are. But she's out there, you'll find her one day." I shift my body to the right side, to turn the light out in the room. I watch Apollo mute the TV, leaving it on for some brightness in the room as another tv show comes on. "Who knows, Apollo? Maybe she'll appear soon." "Thanks, Athena…I, uh, I hope he appears soon for you too. Goodnight," he says, turning onto his left side, our backs facing each other. "Goodnight," I state my last words to him for the night.

 _Who knows, Apollo? Maybe she's right under your nose and you just need to see it._ I hear in my head.

Maybe…just maybe…I do have feelings for him…

I know I've stated before that I could only like Apollo as a friend, but to quote my favorite song at the moment:

 _"_ _With my feelings on fire, guess I'm a bad liar."_


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N: Welcome back to the Adventures of Emily and her Inconsistent Writing! In today's installment, we'll realize that she has been procrastinating by her newfound love of "The Office" (aka the TV episode that was referenced in Ch. 8) and her newfound OTP in Jam (aka Jim x Pam). Justicykes is still my OTP, I just have 2 OTPs now._**

 ** _Thank you for over 8k views. Who would have thought that a story I'd create/write while tipsy as my boyfriend was away 2 years ago would be something the AA fandom would like to read._**

 ** _Also, my biggest piece of inspiration for this chapter is the song "ocean eyes" by Billie Eilish. Check the song out, as it intertwines through this chapter (multiple times)._**

 ** _Now, to these two dorks. ~ Emily_**

Chapter 9

July 25, 2017

9:29 AM PST

Fey-Wright Rental Condo

I know my alarm's about to go off in one minute, but I don't care. My brain may have woken me up, but my body doesn't want to leave this bed.

I know it's happened again…as it did yesterday morning: awaken by a dream of Athena, and the repercussions of such.

However, I didn't find myself panicking as I previously did.

* * *

 _It was slow: she wearing that damn green dress she bought yesterday that fits her curves in every right spot, that shows a sliver of her perfectly sculpted ass. Her soft blue eyes grown two shades darker, lustful. My own brown ones shades darker-if possible- only for her. She makes strides towards me, us both knowing where we're leading. Our lips meet,_ ** _finally_** _: hers so soft up against mine, a warmth fills my body while rushing all of my blood directly south. Our kissing slow, yet passionate, I let my hands wrap around her waist, pulling her closer than I thought she could possibly get. Her hands find the collar of my button down, pulling me deeper. Her tongue slides between my lips, deepening our kiss. Now, my hunger for her deepens._

 _I gently push her up against the wall of her apartment kitchen, my hand now cupping the back of her head, sure to be gentle with her no matter how badly it kills me inside to do so. My mouth starts a longword trek from her lips, down her cheek, across her jawline. She, hiding the little moans in the back of her throat, lets her guard down once my lips and tongue meet where her neck and shoulder meet, always wondered what would happen if I were to kiss her there._

 _"_ _Apollo…" she moans my name, and I can feel myself hardening with each noise coming out of her mouth. As turned on as I feel right now, I_ ** _need_** _to feel her, please her in the ways she wants. I want,_ ** _need_** _her to come first. I continue to press my lips against her neck, lightly nipping at the skin there, while allowing my hands to slide upwards to her abdomen. I stop immediately when my hands reach her ribcage, looking up at her too, asking permission. She looks directly in my eyes, lust filling her gaze and nods. My hands slowly but surely start to make their way north, cupping Athena's chest. Upon realizing that this goddamn fabric of her dress is the only thing separating my hands from_ ** _touching_** _her, I gently massage her breasts, as her head leans backward._

 _"_ _A-Apollo…" she moans again, as I crash my lips back onto hers, a grunt sneaking its way from the back of my throat. My tongue slips between her lips, intertwining with her own. I know she can feel my ever-growing erection piercing into her upper thigh, how couldn't she at this point? I need to move her, need to feel her writhe in a way I know she can. I proceed to pick her up, her wrapping her legs around my waist, feeling how simply hot and just_ ** _wet_** _she already is. She attempts to grind herself against me, but I have other plans. My one hand reaches her right thigh, as the other cups her left cheek, eyes directly on her blue, ocean-like eyes, seeking approval._

 _"_ _Apollo, you don't ha-" she begins, but I cut her off._

 _"_ _I want to," I whisper, my lips making their way back to her neck. "I want to know how you feel…" She attempts to quiet her own moans, as I look her directly in the eyes. "Yes," I hear, as my hand slowly journeys its way under her dress, sneaking its way between her legs to a pool of moisture created in her underwear. I slowly lap my finger up and down, before plunging my fingers underneath the soaked fabric…_

* * *

The simple thought of the dream I had caused a similar issue, in my pants again, as my alarm goes off. And to be completely honest, I'll feel extremely guilty if I needed "Jill" to solve this problem for me. I shut my phone alarm off and opt for another cold shower. I'm very fortunate that Athena's not in our room at the current moment, as I'm shuffling to the bathroom, hiding my bulge from the rest of the world.

Turning a playlist on my phone on as I step in the shower, I'm delighted to hear "Girls" by The 1975 play, a band that Athena and I share a common affection for. While lathering up my shampoo/body wash, purchased for me by Trucy from a "Buy 3 Get 3" deal for Father's Day at Bath and Body Works, I focus on the words to the song:

 _"_ _Bite your face to spite your nose. 17 and a half years old._ _Worrying about my brother finding out._ _Where's the fun in doing what you're told?"_

Granted, the message of the song isn't great, being its about a man fucking with a 17-year-old (and as a lawyer, this is totally considered statutory rape in the U.S.), but it reminds me a bit of the situation I'm placed in, legally of course.

Here I am, a 23-year-old male finding himself smitten with his 18 ½-year-old junior co-worker. I…I just can't believe I'm saying this. If you were to ask me three or four days ago if I could ever fall for her, I would have told you-you were crazy, that I liked her as a friend and that's it. But now, I…I really do like her.

I'm not gonna lie, the conversation we had last night before bed was on replay while I tried falling asleep.

 _"_ _She'll fall for_ ** _you_** _, and the way_ ** _you_** _already are. But she's out there, you'll find her one day."_

 _"_ _Who knows, Apollo? Maybe she'll appear soon."_

She won't appear soon, she's here **now**. She works with me every day, she drove with me up here to Big Sur…hell, she's sleeping in the same damn bed with me.

 **It's you, Athena. It's you, it's you, IT'S YOU.**

I was awake for another hour or two after she fell asleep last night, thinking of ways to be able to tell her…

I wish it was as simple as that scene was from the TV show we were watching last night. Wish it were as easy to just ask her if she were free for dinner, her responding yes, and myself stating "it's a date."

But need I remind you, _I am a_ ** _coward_**. Apollo Justice, big-shot L.A. lawyer. Coward.

Plus, I don't even know if she remotely likes me the way I like her…

I realize I've been in the shower for longer than I should have, the song that placed me in this mindset long finished, and my, um, problem…being resolved, that was the cause of my shower in the first place.

I return to our bedroom, changing into a pair of denim shorts, a light grey t-shirt, and a patterned button-down I'm purposely leaving unbuttoned. An expensive outfit, yes, but that's the least of my worries. She keeps putting a show on for me with all of her outfits, the least I could do is the same for her. So, I slip on my pair of Sperrys, and I'm off downstairs.

Athena and I agreed to drive Trucy and Pearl back up to Carmel today, as Mr. Wright and Maya needed "a day to sleep in." I rolled my eyes when he told us that last night. Yeah, sleep in, more like "Let's get everyone out of the house so we can fuck each other senseless all day." Smooth Mr. Wright, smooth.

To make matters worse, I hear both of them moaning as I walk past their bedroom. Thanks, Mr. Wright, for ruining my day before it even begins. I cringe as I walk down the stairs to something that won't ruin my day: Athena

As per usual on this vacation, she's doing her morning yoga. Only this time, it seems as though she's finishing up.

Clad in a hot pink bralette and black yoga pants, she's leaving little to my imagination. She looks perfect, no matter what she's wearing (or in this case, not wearing). I stop myself from staring, attempting to make conversation before I find myself with yet another situation in my pants.

"Psst. Athena…" I whisper, making sure no one else, particularly the two underaged teens in the house, can hear. "I know I joke about those two fucking the living daylights out of each other, but really?" I make a disgusted face, as I notice she plays along.

"Oh Nick!" she whispers, eyes closed, imitating what we both believe is occurring one floor above us. "Jesus, they couldn't wait until we were out of the house? What if the kids walk by and hear that?" she continues whispering, as she rolls up her yoga mat.

"Yeah, that would ruin their sheltered lifestyle in a heartbeat." I retort. I still don't understand why Trucy and Pearl are so sheltered. They're 16 ½ and 18 years old (respectively), and act like they're still 10.

"Yeah, hopefully, they grow out of that," she states, walking past me towards the stairs.

Her hand brushes against mine, and…it feels like the world froze for a second. She stops, and I look up to see her looking directly at me. Those ocean blue orbs of hers, burning right into my own brown ones. She blinks, and looks away, as I do the same. "Um, I'll be ready in about 30 minutes. Gotta shower and all…" she says, flustered, as she walks up to the stairs. I see her walk up, smiling. And, is that blush I'm noticing on her cheeks?

Dammit, Apollo. Get it together.

"POLLY!" I hear, shaking me of my thoughts. Trucy walks down the stairs and offers me a hug. "Daddy says you're taking us back to Carmel?" she states, rubbing her eyes, she must still be tired.

"Yeah, you, me, Athena, and Pearl. Any requests of where to go?" I ask her. To be honest, I got my fill of Carmel yesterday with Athena, I don't have much of a desire to return there. However, since I have no choice but to drive these 2 around today, the least I could do is take them to places that would make them happy.

"Well, Pearl wanted to go to the bookstore yesterday, but we were in a rush to go to dinner. Maybe there?" she inquires.

"Sure, that's fine by me," I respond while hearing footsteps down the stairs.

"Morning Apollo!" Pearl states while fixing her hair. She places it in one of those buns I see Athena wear to the office when she's running late (which isn't often, but I notice all the same). "Whoa, who are you trying to impress?" she asks me, staring me up and down. Clearly, she knows something's up. "Nobody, just thought I'd try something different today. What's wrong with that?" I state, taking a bite out of a piece of toast that Trucy made.

Thank god this child knows how to use a toaster, I was beginning to wonder if Mr. Wright thought it was unsafe for his precious daughter.

She smirks at me, "Nothing, I guess. Just wondering is all." She looks over at Trucy, whose smirk matches Pearl's, winking.

 **Aw fuck. They know, don't they? They can tell my feelings, huh?**

I roll my eyes. "Whatever. I'll be right back." I state, turning out of the kitchen, to walk up the flight of stairs.

Shaking my head, I walk into the bedroom, careful to avoid hearing anymore moaning from the bedroom across from us. I start searching for my sunglasses when I hear a familiar voice in the distance, singing.

 _"_ _I_ _said 'Yo, I think you better go, I can't take you_

 _You just sit and get stoned with 30-year-olds and you think you've made it. Well, shouldn't you be fucking with somebody your age instead of making changes?' Wrestle to the ground, God help me now…"_

A smile appears on my face. Athena's singing in the shower, to the song that caught me in my feelings earlier.

God dammit, everything she does is great.

* * *

After around 40 minutes of flipping between reading emails and playing one of those blockbusting games on my phone, Athena **finally** walked down the stairs.

And boy, did she make an appearance. Well to me, that is. Along with her Widget, she's wearing a black top with a pair of jean shorts, a jean jacket, white slip-ons, and this blue bandana-like bow. And god damn, I need to stop staring at her.

"Ready to go?" she asks us, all sitting around in the living room.

"Sure! Come on, Trucy." Pearl states, standing up and helping her friend get off the floor.

As they walk towards the door, I get off the couch. "Took ya long enough, Mouthface" I playfully jest with her. She rolls her eyes, "At least I take less time on my hair than you do, Craphole," she rebuttals, as we walk out to my car.

Sigh…I hope our banter never stops.

* * *

 _"_ _Why did I wear a romper? I'm gonna have to strip down to go to the bathroom now!"_

 _"_ _I want the new Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette, have you guys heard anything about it?"_

 _"_ _Pearl, who from Riverdale are you more like, Betty, Veronica, or Cheryl?"_

Fucking hell, Trucy doesn't know how to shut up! Since the **moment** we got in my CR-V, she's been yapping about utter bullshit. I get it, she's almost 17 years old and probably doesn't talk to anybody other than Pearl and a few friends from school, but holy **CRAP** does she know how to talk.

"Well, do you mind if I interject for a minute, Trucy?" Pearl asks. "Um, Apollo, Athena? I…um," she starts.

"What is it?" Athena asks, looking back at the now 18-year-old.

"I…I figured out what I want to do as my career. But, I'm not ready to tell Mystic Maya or Mr. Nick yet…"

Whoa, that's pretty grown-up of her. Possibly.

"Well, since Maya went the route of becoming the master of the channeling technique, there's no sense of me continuing my intensive training. I…I want to follow in Mia's footsteps. I want to do what you guys do: be a lawyer…"

Athena and I look at each other, for a split second, before my eyes return to the road. Holy shit, Pearl wants to be a defense attorney. I can see her with a desk at the Wright Anything Agency, seated next to Athena, working with us on a case.

 **Pearl Fey: Ace Attorney.** I can totally see it.

"So, Apollo…since you went to UCLA, how is the law program there? I may be undeclared right now, but that's nothing a phone call can't fix," she asks of me.

"Well, the program's great. They really prepare you for law school, and to take the BAR. Just, stay focused on your studies while there. The last thing you need is to end up making a phone call to Maya or Mr. Wright when you're drunk off your ass, looking for your clothes after being hazed during a frat party."

Athena starts chuckling. Her laugh is so adorable, "Wait, so you're telling me that you lost your clothes while partying, and drunk-called your step-parents?" she asks me.

I shake my head, a smile appearing on my face. "Oh no, wasn't my step-parents. It was both Clay **and** my advisor. Could be worse, Woody took like, six edibles and thought he was dying. Imagine what happened when Campus Police arrived and saw him having a panic attack, in nothing but his boxers and socks?"

Pearl interjects, "I can only imagine. Reminds me of the time I was leaving my AP Bio class, and these guys from the soccer team ran out of the gym, in only a towel. They were freshmen on the team, it was expected."

All of us bust out laughing. **Never** would I expect Pearl to talk about something like this. Huh, maybe she's more mature than I imagined. Maybe.

I notice Athena turns on the radio, scrolling through the stations, until a song she knew came on.

"Ooh! Yes I love this song!" she says, cranking it up louder and singing along with it:

 _"_ _The best thing about being a woman is the prerogative to have a little fun and...Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy, forget I'm a lady. Men's shirts, short skirts. Oh, oh, oh, really go wild, yeah, doin' it in style…"_

"OOH! I know this song!" Pearl states, singing along with Athena.

"I don't…" Trucy states.

"Come on, Trucy! Every girl knows this song, you should learn it!" Athena states, rocking out.

 _"_ _Oh, oh, oh, get in the action, feel the attraction. Color my hair, do what I dare. Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free, yeah, to feel the way I feel. Man! I feel like a woman…"_

With those three dancing and singing along, it kicks in that I'm the only male in the car…yikes.

But, staring over at Athena, whose looking me straight in the eyes, singing, I feel lucky to be the only guy here. I smirk at her, tongue sticking out at her. She's such a dork…

…but she's my dork. Hopefully.

* * *

The rest of the drive continued with Athena and I giving Pearl advice on college, and sharing stories from our time there. We arrive at Carmel maybe 35 minutes later, parking where we did yesterday. I promised Pearl we could go to the bookstore first, and that's where we headed.

Walking down these streets yesterday, when it was just Athena and me, I had the best time. Oh, what the hell, I could have had the worst day ever, and Athena would pick it up. She's like, this light, that makes everything better, no matter what.

Still, even babysitting these two today, she's making it a hell of a lot better than if it were just me.

We make it to the bookstore, where I see Trucy take Pearl and they run off to the YA section of the store, leaving me alone with Athena for the first time since this morning.

This is it, Apollo. This is a chance to tell her how you feel. Hopefully.

"So, anything in particular you read, Polly?" she asks me. And to be honest, I don't read much, other than the two mystery novels that have been sitting in my briefcase for the past six months.

"Not really, if there's somewhere you wanna go look, go right ahead," I tell her, not wanting to bore her with looking in the mystery section.

"Alright then, to the adult novels, I guess?" she states, walking towards the novel section.

Once we arrive there, she starts looking through the covers, seeing if any title or cover intrigues her. "I usually get my reading done on the weekends when things are slow. I've read a lot of novels already, and I'm picky when it comes to plots," she states, looking at a few books and putting them back.

"Huh, I didn't know you read on the weekends," I state, keeping my eyes ahead and definitely not on her backside that my eyes feel attached to like a magnet.

"Yeah, I read once I'm done cleaning the apartment. It's a great way to pass the time." she smirks, as she sees a book with a familiar title, "Like this absolutely _wonderful_ series," stated with sarcasm.

I recognize the cover immediately, a certain fetish-inducing piece of work that I remember Clay ranting about when the movie came out…

 **Wait, Athena read these?!**

She laughs, holding the novel in her hand, " 'My inner goddess is jumping up and down, clapping her hands like a five-year-old!' Yuck, what a disgrace to the BDSM community. It's not even well-written."

I smirk at her, "Well, you would know. I mean, you **did** ask me to tie you up in court." My tongue sticking out when stating this.

She rolls her eyes, "Just because I know of that kink, doesn't mean I have it." She smirks back at me.

Whoa whoa whoa **WAIT.**

 **What the fuck, Athena? We're talking about kinks now?**

"Sure, whatever you say, dork. I bet Simon must've **loved** hearing you talk about your fetish." I know she's gonna hate me for that comment.

"Oh you're done for, Justice." she pretends to whack me with the book.

"Oh, I'm just getting started, Cykes…" I duck behind her, picking her up from behind, her trying to escape my arms.

"Lemme go! You're such an ass, Apollo!" she whispers, making sure nobody else could hear us.

"No way…you started this, you're stuck here." I state as she attempts to shimmy out of my arms. I decide to let her win, and I place her back down on the floor.

"You suck, Craphole" she states, turning around towards me.

"You do too, Mouthface," I mock her. She's staring at me again. Those damn blue orbs staring directly into my soul, like…

…like she knows. She does, doesn't she?

 _DUH APOLLO! She has Widget. She has to know._

But, I can't say anything. I look into her eyes, and I feel home.

Her eyes, blue as the ocean. Ocean eyes…I'm hooked. I just wanna take her lips into mine, confess how I feel…

I just…holy shit. I'm in deep now.


End file.
